


PAUSE      REWIND      PLAY

by Richard_Conway



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Gen, NO DEATHS, Time Loop, massive spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 12:31:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 96,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15024674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Richard_Conway/pseuds/Richard_Conway
Summary: The mastermind laughs at me, and everything stops.With a click inside my head, the world around me ceased to be.The feeling I had reminded me of those old, old VHS tapes on rewind.I was greeted with a pure nothingness, embracing me in non-existence.And again, everything stopped.I opened my eyes, and I was greeted with green.“Am… Ama- AMAMI-KUN?!”An AU where mysterious and uncertain forces try to keep everyone from dying. Will it come to pass that everyone survives, or will that goal be despairingly out of reach?





	1. Reversible Campaign

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Never Say Never](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3898111) by [hunterofcomedy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunterofcomedy/pseuds/hunterofcomedy). 



> This fic was inspired by hunterofcomedy's approach in "Never Say Never". I seriously reccomend you check it out, it's wonderful.

I felt the heebie-jeebies creepy crawl up my skin.

“Ah ha ha! What wonderful despair! Now _this_ is Despair suitable for Danganronpa!” The boisterous laughter of Junko Enoshima rang in the ears of the last survivors. Her gleeful display was met with silence from my gloomy classmates, devoid of any life or hope. I looked around, feeling the same cold envelop me in it's tight embrace, the same one that the others were probably experiencing right now.

“This was quite unexpected! I am very happy with this result!” the form of Junko Enoshima transformed into that of Tsumugi Shirogane through a whirlwind of clothes and wigs. Her smile was not of that anime-loving timid girl anymore, but that of a deranged psychopath.

We had failed, that much was evident. We had let despair win. I tried turning towards Shuichi, but even he was completely _broke_. He, along with the others, had given up all chance of escape. It seemed that the world really did have it in it for us.

I felt my eyes get watery and my fist shook. How could I let this happen? I was supposed to help my classmates out of this, we were supposed to escape, all of us.

I turned my gaze to the portraits of my dead classmates. From Amami, to Kaede, to Ryoma to Kokichi… All of their smiling faces crossed out in a despairingly unique manner, as if to say that putting a simple X on their picture was boring.

Was this it? Was this how it would end, despite our best efforts? Was this… how we die?

 

 

 

 

_No._

I refused to let this happen. There _had_ to be another way! So many have died in this meaningless game! This stupid, idiotic, sadistic killing game! There had to be something I could do. No matter the cost, I had to turn the tables around somehow! I wished, with all my being and body, that there be some way I could make things right.

I was feeling reality slip through my fingers like a piece of cloth, slowly leaving me. I could not give up. I was ready to help my friends, to sacrifice myself for them, to-

And then, everything stopped.

With a _click_ inside my head, the world around me ceased to be. White noise filled my head. Not only did I feel reality slip away, I was starting to _see_ a similar effect. The world was blurred around the edges, and I could not believe my eyes when the trial stands started to glitch out, similarly to bugs in a broken video game.

The forms of my crying friends stopped breathing, the mastermind ceased their laughter, there was no more sound. The world stopped spinning, the sun stopped shining (how do you know this).

I felt a sudden force, like falling into a pit that kept you up yet pushed you down at the same time, drowning in a hypothetical pool that turned out to be darkness. Was this what a black hole felt like? Momota would surely laugh at my comparison…

Like a trigger, my thoughts turned to Momota. The last trial, the death of Oma… And it kept going back, and back. All the memories from past trials ran through and across my field of vision, like a movie on rewind. I revisited each execution, each trial, the investigations, all the murders…

I could not move, I could not even breathe or speak or swallow or see or hear or do _anything_. A force beyond my comprehension was controlling me, like a divine hand guiding me through the past.

My memories kept going faster and faster, flashing across my… sight? View? No, that would require eyes. All I could do was simply experience.

The feeling I had reminded me of those old, old VHS tapes on rewind.

The last few things I saw were Akamatsu’s execution, her form being dragged away by Monokuma’s metallic collar, the heated debate, the library, the body of Amami, the killing game announcement, the darkness.

The darkness?

I was greeted with a pure nothingness, embracing me in non-existence. The feeling of drowning stopped and so did the force pushing me down. Had I any wit at the time, I would have made a quip about my ‘final destination.’

And again, everything started moving again.

“Hey, you OK?”

I heard a voice, I thought. Somewhere, outside of my vicinity. Behind a veil that stood between reality and wherever the hell I was. I wanted to go towards that voice. It sounded _so damn familiar._

“Hey, wake up.”

I smiled (or did you) when I felt the voice come closer (or were you going closer to the voice).

I opened my eyes, and I was greeted with green.

On closer inspection, my eyes were starting into green orbs of a similar fashion. My tunnel vision expanded, and made out details of whatever was in front of me. Correction, whoever; they were a person.

“Ah, finally! You really had me worried there, I was afraid you wouldn't wake up.” I heard a noise made out of words that slowly formed a sentence in my mind. I swallowed, breathed, felt. My senses were all coming back at once in a rush of euphoria, like the tingling of butterflies in one’s stomach at their first kiss.

I looked up towards the person talking to me and the next thing I made out was their appearance. They had eyes that were green in color with long lashes, and looking upwards I observed locks of what I presumed to be hair of similar color. I could determine, after a few minutes, that the person hovering above me was of a handsome quality and familiar (are those really _your_ observations).

Next I made out their bodily appearance. They wore a striped sweater the color of a darker blue. They – he – cocked his head at me and raised an eyebrow.

“A-are you OK? You look very pale… and your eyes are sort of unfocused? Hey, talk to me, please! Did you have a nightmare or something?”

Again, that sense of familiarity from their voice. I was slowly starting to get control of my senses again, and it felt like my brain was being pumped with fuel. If I had to describe the feeling, it would probably be something like being born again.

I searched deep within my memories, knocking down doors in the confines of my mind for the name of the boy standing in front of me. Slowly, my lips parted, forming words.

“A… Am…” Disappointment - or something similar to it - bubbled in my stomach when my voice came out hoarse, like I hadn't talked for an eternity. A lifetime, even.

“Am… Ama- AMAMI-KUN?!” I yelled, letting my vocal cords exercise, screaming the name out loud enough for the boy in question to flinch and recoil.

“Woah, woah, calm down! Yes, it’s me! Don’t yell so loudly!” Rantaro Amami, the first murder victim of the mutual killing game of their class. I looked him over, once, twice, three times, confirming that I wasn't in a trance anymore.

“…Are you going to ogle me foreve-“ I cut him off by enveloping him in a tight hug, purely on impulse. I didn't fully trust my senses; I needed to make sure he was real.

“You’re alive!” I yelled, pure happiness coursing through me.

“Of course I am,” he made it sound so simple. “Why wouldn't I be?”

I let him go and stared at him slack jawed. “B-but… you died! You got pummeled on the head… and then Akamatsu-san was executed wrongly because everyone thought she was the murderer even though the mastermind covered it all up and it was all wrong and we were all going to die but we were so close and-“ I nearly fell, but thankfully Amami was able to catch me before that happened.

“Yup, definitely a nightmare. I’m glad I decided to check up on you when I saw you weren't anywhere near. You need the rest, I can tell you've had an awful night,” He chuckled, helping me sit down on the bed. “I don’t blame ya, though. That Monokuma has got everyone on edge, so it’s not surprising to see someone snap from stress after that sort of announcement. A ‘killing game’. Sounds ridiculous, right?” He smiled at me and laughed again, playing with a lock of hair with his ringed fingers.

By now I was able to sort my mess of a brain out, and many questions formed.

_How is he alive? What does he mean by announcement; the killing game was started ages ago! Something is wrong…_

Shifting the gears in my brain, I was struggling to make connections with the information I had. This was insane! Why was I here? Was this some kind of sick joke the mastermind was playing?

And, although I was hesitant to acknowledge this, the first conclusion I had arrived at was that the killing game… hadn'tstarted yet. The notion itself was crazy, but I didn't have enough information to go on to make a full assessment of the situation. I needed to play the had I had.

Making myself comfortable on the bed, I leaned forward like I was going to fall, gripping onto Amami for support.

“Easy there. Easy! You look better, the color has gone back to your face, but you still look sick. Should I go get something for you? What even happened?”

Right, he was just as confused as I was (hardly). I could work with this. Firstly, I needed to explain my earlier outburst.

“Y-yeah… sorry, I have no real idea what happened… My head is buzzing and everything looks like it’s upside down,” I chuckled, hoping my humor would persuade Amami.

He laughed back. “No, I get you. It’s fine, don’t worry about it. But seriously, can I get you anything?”

“No need. I’m feeling a lot better now, thanks.” Secondly, gather more info on our current situation. “I’m really sorry to impose this on you, Amami-kun, but… well, my head doesn't seem to want to work right now, so forgive me for being slow. You mentioned something about an announcement?” I tried making my voice sound as pained and confused as possible, which seemed to have worked.

“Don’t you remember? Monokuma announced that we’d have to partake in a ‘killing game’? Someone kills another and has to get away with it? Ring any bells?”

It certainly did, but that had happened over a week ago, surely. Maybe even months ago! And yet, he was talking about it like it had just happened the other day. My theory was holding water. Scary.

“Right, right… The killing game… So, nobody has died yet?” I asked hesitantly.

Amami shook his head. “Nope, everyone’s alive. As of right now, at least. Though, our time limit is getting closer and closer…” He shrugged. “No worries, though. I’ll end this game; I’m a man of my word!”

I just nodded absentmindedly. With this, the answer was clear. Monokuma had announced the killing game two days prior, nobody was dead, time was about to run out. Soon, Momota’s strategy meeting would take place, Amami would excuse himself and then Akamatsu would supposedly kill him. I had gotten my wish, I realized. I could stop everything from happening.

I needed to stop either Amami or Akamatsu. I didn’t have the opportunity to try the Death Road of Despair; I would kill myself before Amami even got balled. If I stop either of them, the Mastermind (why dont you say their name) wouldn't be able to kill the Survivor. Speaking of which, it was time to put the plan into motion.

Amami was about to walk out of my room, but I stopped him by holding onto his hand. He looked back, confused. “Huh? Is there something you need after all?”

“Yes, there is,” I nodded. “It’s a favor.” Seeing that Amami gave me the all clear, I sighed and let him go. “Don’t go to the library.” Surprise flashed across his face, before it went back into its confused state.

“The library? Why would I do that?”

Time to show my cards. “Because of the secret room that connects the mastermind’s lair to the library. You saw it in your Survivor Perk Monopad, right?”

He took me by my collar and pushed me against the wall. Shocked, certainly. Maybe even angry. In any case, I had his full attention.

“Where... Where do you get that from?” He hissed, pushing me harder against the wall behind me. I needed to choose my words carefully, lest I reveal too much info.

“I… am aware of certain... details of your history and talent. I’m a big fan, you could say. A big fan of you not dying.”

“What do you mean?” He didn't seem quite convinced, but his lines were softening from shock to skepticism. Better than nothing.

“You've already participated in one killing game, right? You should know how this works. You think that the mastermind would let you survive another one? It’s a set-up, silly. Your Monopad is supposed to get you killed on Day 3. Isn't that an ironic twist?”

I regretted my words when his skepticism faded and was replaced by anger.

“You’re the mastermind, then?”

“Me?! Pfft.” I snorted. “If I were, I wouldn't reveal myself like this.” I stopped smiling and looked at him with the same serious expression he had given Hoshi earlier in the day (many months ago).

“You _will_ die if you go snooping around right now.” I looked around my room and cursed. Hopefully we were being quiet enough for Monokuma not to notice us. “The mastermind will murder you. Trust me on this, please.” I pleaded. He thought it over, and let me drop down to the floor. He smiled like nothing had happened.

“I’m glad you’re worrying about me, but I’m more worried about you! I know how to take care of myself. Thanks for the warning, though; I’ll be sure to keep my head down. You just make sure you get some rest, that nightmare seems to have rattled a few of your screws loose.” He left my room before I could many any further comment, looking at me like I was crazy.

“Keep your head down indeed.” I remarked sarcastically. Well, that blew up in my face. Now I needed to try Akamatsu. And maybe a more tactful tactic this time around. I estimated that it was about time where the pianist would put her plan into action. By now, the cameras would be set up, and the fluke shot put would be in Akamatsu's hands.

I moved through the long corridors to the classroom that the pianist and detective were staking in. I waited patiently in a classroom, and suddenly, the death music blared through the monitors. Not long after, the seven strategists went past me. Rantaro was still in the group, unsurprisingly.

After they had gone past, I waited in the classroom again. As expected, Saihara ran past, going to check out the basement, to make sure that nobody entered the library. I could intervene now. I walked out of the classroom and moved towards the one that Akamatsu was hiding in. I opened the door, and saw her sweeping the floor.

“I don’t think Tojo-san will appreciate you doing her work for her, Akamatsu-san.”

She turned around, dropping the broom in surprise and letting out a yelp. I smirked in amusement and walked up to her.

“Oh! What are you doing here,-“ she was about to ask, but I cut her off.

“I’m on to you, Akamatsu-san. Your plan to kill the mastermind will end badly.”

She recoiled and her face turned blue. “W-what…?”

“I know about the shot put, and your little plot. It’s genius, really. Were it not for two reasons. The first being that you won’t be killing the mastermind, but someone innocent instead. And the second; your ball will miss and you’ll take the blame for someone else’s murder. I suggest you don’t-“

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she yelled at me, breaking my monologue. Her fists were shaking, the anxiety and fear from her failure earlier getting to her. I had fucked up yet again. “I don’t plan to kill anyone! How could you even come up with such a stupid idea?”

I was going to press on and tell her how stupid _her_ actions were, when then Ultimate Detective walked in.

“It looks like there's no need to worry, they went to the game- what is going on?” He looked at me and Akamatsu.

“Nothing, he was leaving!” Akamatsu yelled, glaring daggers at me. I couldn't let her go through with her plan, I needed to convince her otherwise, but she was already pushing me out. Locking the door once I was thrown out, I was left alone in the hall. She was going to tell Saihara that I was crazy or something, leaving me with no way I could explain myself normally. Everything was going down the drain.

“Damn it!” I kicked the wall and hurt my foot. Nothing was going as planned. Neither Amami nor Akamatsu were willing to let their plans be ruined; one too self-certain and the other was too caught up with her earlier failure to listen to reason. I cursed my bad planning and terrible speech skills. Defeated, I walked to the game room. Maybe I could still stop Amami before he investigated the library.

Reaching the basement, I saw Momota leave. “Yo. What’s up?” he greeted me with a grin and a thumbs up.

“Did you see Amami-kun, Momota-kun?”

He scratched his head. “Actually, he excused himself a little while ago. Said he had to go to the bathroom or something. Why?” I didn't respond and bolted out. I needed to get to the library before it was too late. I had wasted too much time idling around; I couldn't let Amami die again!

I reached the library, but seeing Akamatsu and Saihara there, my stomach flipped.

“What are you guys doing here?!” I shouted, out of breath. They looked at me in union, but Saihara spoke up first.

“There’s no time to explain! Come on, the mastermind is in the library!”

I heard Momota and Chabashira here the body of Amami would be, and was greeted with the horrible sight of the truth. I chocked on nothing as Akamatsu came to where I stood, looking for the same thing I was.

“Hey, did you find somethi-“ she stopped, seeing Amami's body as well. Saihara's reaction was a perfect copy, and I glared at Akamatsu.

“I warned you!” I hissed at her. Her face welled up in dread, realizing what she had done. But I was no different; I had failed to stop another killing game, and now, we would have to repeat everything again. I heard Chabashira and Momota rush in, witnessing the same sight that the rest of us had.

“Hey guys, what the hell is going on   h   e      r        e      .           .                 .              ?” His speech slowed down, grinding to a halt in an unnatural way.

My world stopped again; déjà vu. I had failed once more. I had been given another chance, and I had slacked off. Why why why why why?! I could have stopped everything, could have changed the outcome. But no, I didn't. I couldn't.

Amami's body started to glitch, along with the shot put. The sinking feeling from before returned, and I was back in the seeping darkness, being pulled down by tentacles of time and space. I fell, fell, fell, fell fell fell fell fell fell back into the endless darkness, being pulled pulled pulled pulled pulled.

I heard a voice, I was certain. Somewhere, outside of my vicinity. Behind a veil that stood behind reality and wherever the hell I was. I wanted to go towards that voice. It sounded _so damn familiar._

“Hey, wake up.”

I smiled (or did you) when I felt the voice come closer (or were you going closer to the voice).

I opened my eyes, and I was greeted with green.

On closer inspection, my eyes were starting into green orbs of a similar fashion.

“Ah, finally! You really had me worried there, I was afraid you wouldn't wake up.”

I was on my bed again, Amami standing above me, the result of me having gone missing and the survivor having to look for me. This time, my senses came to me much quicker than before. I stood up and stared at him. I remember how I acted last time, hugging him and blowing up from seeing him alive. I wanted to hug him again, to know that I didn't fail again after all, but I restrained myself. What was going on?! How did I come back not once, but twice? And how?! Is there some sick, twisted god that's pulling my strings, making me re-live the game over and over? I had no proof, no evidence, but there was definitely a reason I was being brought back constantly. Was it because Amami had died? Was it because I failed to save my classmate?

“A-are you OK? You look very pale… and your eyes are sort of unfocused? Hey, talk to me, please! Did you have a nightmare or something?”

I stood up. I took a hold of him from the shoulders and told him very calmly and simply: “Don’t. Go. To. The. Library. It will be your doom. Just don't. Whatever you do, don't go snooping around for the mastermind's lair.”

He looked confused and was about to respond, but I cut him off. “I know you don't believe me, but _please_ , Amami-kun! If you go to the library, you'll die again! I know you're trying to stop the mastermind, but-“

“I think you need to rest, you seem to have had a terrible night.” Amami laughed easily, ignoring my cries of insistence.

“You don't understand, this is a matter of life and death-“

“That’s what Monokuma wants you to think. You should probably sleep some more, I'll tell the others that you’re not feeling too well.” He pushed my down to my bed again and left the room.

“Damn it, I still can't convince him!” I yelled, punching my bed. I threw off my covers and left my room. The Ultimate Survivor - or was it Adventurer? - was long gone. I walked back inside and dropped on the bed. I didn't assume anything the first time around (are you implying there will be more times), but it seems that I _am_ repeating everything over again. But… the objective I had of not letting anyone die was easier said than done. What could I possibly do? Amami was proving more stubborn than I imagined, and so was Akamatsu.

I exhaled, and thought things over. I needed to stop the murder: talking to the victim had no effect. Therefore, I needed to stop the supposed murderer.

I camped out in the same classroom again. I heard the music, Amami went past with the strategists, the detective followed them not long after. Instead of confronting Akamatsu now, it was better to wait for the exact moment she decided to throw the ball. I caught myself already thinking five steps ahead. This was absurd, I had never before had to think so much into the future, calculating every move for some hard-to-grasp outcome.

No matter. None of the whys mattered, for once. I was given this opportunity, so I needed to take it. Questioning it needlessly would get me in trouble, so for now, I had to concentrate on making sure Amami didn't die.

Like clockwork, Saihara came back. I almost missed his silent footsteps, which would have been extremely disadvantageous in my position. I heard him talk, but it was quickly muffled by the music of the promotional video. I already knew more or less what they were talking about anyways. Now, all I needed to do was wait for the receiver-

He ran past me. I was caught off-guard; it couldn't have been this quick. I panicked. I burst through the classroom door, and headed down the hallway into the room that Akamatsu was in. I saw her holding the shot put in her hand.

“Wait! Don’t do it!” I yelled, but it was too late again. In her shock, she had let the ball drop. It was rolling towards the ventilation shaft. I leaped at it and brushed my fingers against it, almost getting it in my grasp. Instead, the ball rolled against the shaft wall and into the air duct.

“W-what are you-“ Akamatsu's question was left unfinished as I rushed through the door. _I still have time_ , I told myself. I could still stop the mastermind from framing Akamatsu. Thankfully, my quick feet took me to the library, and I almost even caught up with Saihara. He slowed down and turned around, seeing me and waving a greeting.

“Oh, hey there,-“

“Shut up and get in the fucking library, Saihara!” I screamed loudly past the sound of the promotional video music and slammed against the door of the library. I saw a little bit of cerulean as the library secret door slid closed, and even Saihara seemed to notice that this time. I ran to where Amami was, and saw in horror what had transpired for the third time (incompetent fool).

I had failed once more. I felt my legs give out and fell to my knees. The Ultimate Survivor lived no longer, just as Shir- the mastermind's script was planned. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. The first time around I was too shocked about my surroundings to appreciate any of this, but now I had all the time until the body announcement, which is when I assumed I would (you hope) be sent back to Amami standing above me, making sure I was alright and allowing me to do it all over. I let the tears go down my cheek and heard some of Saihara's reaction in the background, blending in with the promotional video.

“ _Amam_ … _what ha… no… can't…”_ I couldn't have cared less what he thought. As expected, Akamtsu arrived first through the doors. I stood up and went to her.

“Why didn't listen to what I said?! Now Amami's dead! God damn it!” I cried, punching a bookcase near me.

“Please, calm down! Now's not the time to lose your he-“ Saihara tried to comfort me, but I just glared at him.

“Damn it, Saihara! Someone just killed Amami, and I failed to stop this from happening again!” I punched the bookcase again and slid down, defeated. Now all I could do was wait until everything stopped again. Until then, I could cry silent tears all I wanted.

“We heard yelling, what on earth happened?!” Momota burst in, Chabashira at his heels. “More like crying, but Tenko wants to know what happened as well!”

“A-Amami-kun…” Saihara tried.

“’Amami-kun’ what, Shuichi? Go on, spit it out!” Momota beckoned, but soon saw what he was talking about anyways. “What the hell?!” yelled Momota, while Chabasihra let out a scream, accompanied by the arrival of the rest of the strategists. I kept to the ground, not knowing what to do. Everything was a mess, and I didn't help it one bit after all. I just waited in dread for the moment where I would be brought back. I could already hear Amami's words in my ears, repeating the same greeting over and over again like a mocking chant.

Gokuhara screamed, Yumeno looked disinterested, Yonaga seemed unfazed and Harukawa stared coldly. The tears slowly stopped, and I was able to tune into their speech again.

“How can you be so calm?!” Gokuhara yelled at Yonaga for her uncaring attitude.

“I mean, it’s sad and all, but like, he's with God now, right? He's in a better place; yup! So there's no need to be sad that Amami-kun's dead!” the artist stated, matter of factly. I saw Saihara crouch down and check for Amami’s breathing. I was waiting for him to say, “Too late…”, but what he said instead shook me.

“He’s breathing!”

I shot up immediately, staring at the detective. “H-he's…?”

Akamatsu seemed as perplexed as I was. “A-Are you sure, Saihara-kun?”

“I can feel his breath, although it's very faint,” he answered, who was now looking over the body more thoroughly. I noticed that there was no real pool of blood this time around, which was different from the still-vibrant pink from last time and the hazy memories of the first. Something in my motions had changed things, and now there was a chance to fix everything; to stop the killings from happening! I had been able to save Amami, so I could definitely do it again. I was unsure what I had done, but I was glad I hurried down here.

“He… he is alive? He didn't die?” Gokuhara asked, the color going back to his face.

“Huh. I guess he won't be meeting God after all… But that's also good, because now he can keep on living!” Yonaga cheered, as happy as always.

Although they didn't say anything, Harukawa and Yumeno looked just as relieved as the rest.

“Oh, thank god! But what happened? Who attacked him?” Momota wasn't about to let this miracle pass without any explanation. Of course.

“Someone attacked Amami-kun, that's for sure.” Saihara said, not noticing how Akamatsu tensed up at that. “But it seems their plot failed. We need to get him some medical attention immediately.”

We didn't have time to drag him somewhere with the necessary equipment, so I looked at Harukawa. Thanks to the insight of knowing her true talent, I figured she would be best equipped for this situation.

“Harukawa-san.” I addressed her and she turned around to face me. “Concerning your… Ultimate Talent, would you be able to address the wound in any way? Surely with your _experience_ ” I stressed the word, making sure the hidden meaning was evident, “you are the most qualified out of all of us to help.”

“Pretty smart thinking,” voiced Chabashira, maybe muttering something about 'menaces' but I didn't quite catch that. “As the Ultimate Caregiver, she would definitely be able to do something!”

“That's not exactly what I meant,” I chuckled like one would at an inside joke, which received a suspicious glare from the supposed caregiver, “but yes. Please.” I bowed low, hoping that she would comply.

“…I’ll see what I can do.” She answered curtly before running off to get supplies. Meanwhile, Akamatsu had sacrificed her sweater for Saihara to hold in place on Amami's head to stop any more bleeding.

“Seems like the killing game has started, huh?” Yumeno declared sleepily.

“Maybe not!” Akamatsu suddenly blurted out. I cursed for my lack of foresight, which is what messed things up the last two times. She still thought Amami was the mastermind. “This means… Actually, this means the killing game has ended!”

“What do you mean? Gonta confused,” said Gokuhara. I didn't blame him, I would be as well (you were the first time it happened).

“Amami-kun… is the mastermind!” Akamrsu declared confidently, sweat on her forehead. I sighed at her naivety and decided to let them in on at least part of the truth.

“Wrong. Amami wasn- isn't the mastermind. The person who killed him, however; now that's a whole different story.”

“Wh-What?” Akamtsu was shaken to say the least. She probably thought I was indicting her, so I needed to clear things up. My thoughts turned to what would come next, the announcement and rule explanation of the game. And on cue, Monokuma appeared on a screen, a glass of champagne in hand.

“A body has been discovered! Everyone, please gather in the library!” With that simple message, everyone had been alerted of the dealings.

“See?” I simply said, pointing at the monitor. “If Amami-kun was the mastermind, that right there wouldn't have happened.”

“So… The killing game has really began?” asked Momota. He didn't show it, but I could feel that he was scared.

I shook my head, “No. Not really. He isn't dead, is he? Sure, he got attacked, but he isn't dead yet. With these developments, Monokuma will have gotten his wish. After all, it was the mastermind's fault Amami-kun isn't yet dead.” Long gone were the tears and dread, now pride washing over me. I had really done it. Now I could help Shuichi and the others to the right path, _finally_ ending this killing game the right way, like Amami and Akamatsu had wanted all along. It was funny, thinking about it. They both wanted to end the killing game and had the best of motives, but then one ended up killing the other. The road to hell is paved in good intentions, as the saying goes.

“Upupupu! What a relief! A murder took place _just_ before time ran out!” Monokuma seemed so full of himself that he didn't even notice that no killing had actually taken place when he skipped in. “I gotta admit, I was a little nervous there cuz the killing game hadn't started yet-“

“And still hasn't,” I boldly interrupted him. Monokuma sharpened his claws at me.

“Where do you get off interrupting me, you little punk-“

“Simple. I'm not interrupting, but rather, correcting.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” He scratched his metallic cheek with a paw.

“Amami-kun wasn’t murdered,” supplied Saihara. “He was however severely injured. But he's still breathing.”

“Hah! Take that, you stupid bear!” Chabashira cheered, doing a pose. Something with aikido, surely. Probably. Maybe. It was so bizarre, who could even tell?!

“Yeah! Sorry to ruin your fun,” Momota's grin shone brightly. It seemed everyone was happy to revel in the sudden state of shock and silence that the bear had fallen in.

“…What? He's not dead?” To confirm, the bear waddled over to the victim's body and looked for a pulse. Getting it, he just stood there, eyeballing the mark on his head.

“…Well this is a problem. A slight divergence from the outcome that was _supposed_ to happen, but it seems nothing goes as one hopes.” Shrugging it off, the bear waddled back to the middle of the room.

The others came into the room, Shirogane one of the first.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!” she screamed. I grit my teeth, but calmed myself with the fact that her plan hadn't succeeded.

“Amami?! But… why?!” Kiibo cried. Reactions similar and different spread across the remaining students, which were interrupted by Monokuma.

“Alright, alright, shut yer traps! A-hem! In light of a recent discovery, I have a new announcement to make!” the bear declared, jumping on top of one of the nearby tables. “While yes, he looks like he just reached the high heavens, Rantaro Amami the Ultimate Whatever is _not_ dead! Hold your disappointment, I'm not done yet.”

“He's alive?” Shinguuji questioned, cupping his chin.

“I just told you to shut up! I hate being interrupted, and my mood's not any better thanks to whoever did such a lazy job of trying to off him.” I glanced at Shirogane. While the others held expressions of relief and puzzlement, she was downright confused and afraid. She silently stared daggers at Amami's body, probably hoping that her gaze alone would make his heart stop or something. Or maybe that was just my imagination and demonized view of her?

“I'm suddenly not in the mood for dramatics anymore, so I'll keep this brief. No matter the kid's state, someone still wanted to push him off the far end! Your job now is to figure out whodunnit! I'll give you crazy kids some time to mull things over and whatnot, so make sure you don't miss anything vital to the case, or else!”

“Pardon me, but didn't you specifically say that whoever decided to _kill_ someone would have to try and get away with it?” asked Tojo.

“That I did!” Monokuma answered.

“Then that doesn't match at all!” Iruma yelled, gripping air tentatively.

“You said nothing about an _attempted_ murder,” Hoshi continued. “so there should be no need for any investigations. Says so in the student handbook.”

“I stand corrected on the point where someone had to die, yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that someone still wanted to end the life of one of your classmates. And that person is still in your midst! So, go on, play detective for my amusement and maybe learn something useful while you're at it! Heeey, maybe you'll even solve the case! Who knows? And as for the student handbook, I simply need to add a new rule to any possible attempted murder, and voilà!”

He disappeared behind the rows of books, crawling back to his lair. Soon, our handbooks beeped. I took mine out and looked it over.

_#15: If the blackened fails to kill their target in the attack, a Bullying Trial will commence instead of a Class Trial._

“Well that's disappointing. Here I was hoping that something interesting had finally happened!” Oma's reaction to the murder was a stark contrast to the initial one he had given the first time around. It didn't surprise me.

“So what do we do now?” Momota clenched his fist.

“We have no choice but to investigate. Monokuma's right, someone did try to kill Amami-kun, and we have to find out who.” Saihara took over, as he had before. My plan had worked, and as I had already witnessed everything, there was no need for me to help with the investigation. I could feel my body about to give up, suddenly aware of how tired I was. Guess time travel does that to you, huh? Before I retired to my dorm until the class trial, I had one more business to attend to.

Standing a little bit away from the scene, Akamatsu hugged herself. She was probably thinking on how she had nearly killed an innocent person. I needed to extend a helping hand; that's why I was sent back, after all.

“Akamatsu-san,” I started.

“Oh… hi.” She nodded stiffly, not looking me in the eye.

I smiled at her and shook my head. “You don't need to worry, Akamatsu-san. You didn't hurt him.”

She looked at me in surprise, her former fear seemingly subsided. “B-but… you even saw me throw the ball! It-it landed on his head and you even screamed at me earlier for killing him!”

“I know. I let anger and fear cloud my thinking. I'm sorry for that, I shouldn't have jumped the gun. Even then, I knew you specifically hadn't killed him. The shot put that you threw got nowhere close to killing Amami-kun. Pro tip, I suggest you try it out again with another ball. You'll see that the path of your throw lands in a completely different place.” I put one hand on her shoulder. Being on the verge of tears, her lips quivered. “Trust me, you didn't nearly kill him. In another life, you were framed for his murder. But not in this one. All will be revealed in time, don't you worry.” I left that cryptic message and walked out of the library just as Harukawa came back. My tired mind felt pride and happiness in the fact that I had been able to stop – or at the very least post pone – the killing game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you couldn't tell, the "me" and "I" in this fic isn't one of the canon characters. Is this a self insert? Depends. I purposefully made their appearance, name, and title obscure, so you can imagine anyone (maybe even yourself) as the protagonist. I will try to keep it ambiguous for some time, though I will probably have to give the protag an actual character, if everything goes as I first intend it to. Who's to say?  
> As Monokuma said, although there was no real murder, a trail will still take place! Who will take the blame? Will Kaede be thrown under the bus again? Find out next chapter!  
> Feedback is greatly appreciated! Please review!  
> Thank you for reading. Cheers, and have a wonderful rest of your day!


	2. Fool me once...

The investigation had gone off without a single hitch, all according to script. From what I heard, Akamatsu had succeeded in her experiment and had thanked me for the tip. This was going to be an interesting trial. From the start, my plan was to reveal the mastermind and indict them. Question is how well that will work out.

“Where’s Amami-kun?” I asked.

“Harukawa-san was able to patch him up,” supplied Saihara. “And he’s resting in her room right now. However, I’m hesitant to leave him alone. Who knows how long this trial will go on for?”

“If only Harukawa-san could stay with him…” Akamatsu sighed in her brand new sweater. She had apparently found a spare in her wardrobe.

I thought about it for a moment, and decided to summon the devil. “Hey! Monokuma!” I yelled.

“What do you want, brats?” His appearance made both the pianist and detective flinch, but after seeing him do that over and over again, I was numb to him suddenly popping out of nowhere.

“We can’t leave Amami-kun alone for the whole duration of the class trial; we need someone to look after him.” I explain.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take good care of him.” The bear maliciously chuckled and sharpened his claws.

“We could use someone who won’t try to kill him, preferably,” said Saihara.

“Have you forgotten the rules? I will never participate in a murder directly!”

“And yet your new rule states that the blackened will not be responsible if the victim dies later on. So you _could_ harm Amami-kun and nothing would happen.”

“Alright, alright! Seesh, who do you take me for? I’ll allow for the babysitter to stay, but only for this trial, alright? Now get to the trail grounds already, I’m losing my patience!”

 

The  elevator made its way down.

We stood there in silence, contemplating what would be coming next. The class trial. First time for everyone but me.

I watched Akamatsu and Saihara stand there silently. They both looked like they were in pretty bad shape. I tried to cheer them up.

“It’ll be fine. We’ll catch the mastermind during the trial.”

They both gave me shaky smiles, but it didn’t seem to work.

 

\- - **COURT IS NOW IN SESSION** \- -

Entering the trial grounds, I walked automatically to my stand while the rest of the students looked around in shared amazement and uncertainty. I took the place next to Amami’s portrait, and instead of a smiling picture with a red cross, there were three ‘Z’s going down diagonally across his face.

“Catching some ‘z’s, eh Amami-kun?” I joked to myself.

“Alrighty, pay attention now since I’ll only say this once! Here’s how this will go down. Seeing as the victim didn't actually die, I have created a new system called the ‘Bullying Trial’. The concept is similar to the Class Trials and really simple. You will summarize what you know, discuss any findings and evidence, then go on to prove whodunnit.” This was new even for me, but I didn't pay much attention to it. It would be the same as always, just with a new name to it.

“Even when it wasn't planned, daddy still has such a perfect and straightforward explanation!” gushed Monophanie.

“That’s our pops for ya. Never ceases to amaze.” Monosuke said, pushing up his glasses.

“Hell yeah! Finally, we get to see blood, sweat, and tears! About time a fucking trial happened!” Monokid waved his guitar around.

Monodam stood quietly.

”Simple, right? Any questions?” Monokuma asked, rubbing his paw against his chest in pride.

“What about Harukawa?” asked Momota.

“What about her, star-boy?” tilted Monokuma his head.

“I mean where is she? You didn't do anything to her, did you?” he shook his fist at the bear.

“Nope! Remember, I can’t exactly do much against you guys if you don’t go out of your way to harm me. I left her to tend over the splattered avocado. Ain't I nice?“

I snorted, but kept any comments to myself.

“What if she has important information?” asked Hoshi, rolling a candy stick in his hands.

Yonaga tiled from side to side. “Yeah! It wouldn't be nice to leave her all alone like that!”

“Ugh, friggin’ kids; they never listen to their elders.” Monokuma spread his hands out, glaring menacingly at the students. “Maki Harukawa had _nothing_ to do with the murder! She didn’t do shit, she doesn’t know shit! Are you happy?”

A murmur of agreement spread across the room. “Good, now get to it!”

“What should we do now?” Kiibo asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Oma put his hands behind his head. “We’re supposed to solve the murder, of course! Start with the basics and build from there.”

“You sound like you have a lot of experience with this,” Tojo noted.

“I _am_ the leader of an evil organization, after all. I’ve done this gig before.”

“If I may begin,” asked Shinguuji. “I would like to ask a simple and important question: Why did the blackened not use the First-Blood Perk?”

“If there is a reason,” began Hoshi. “then the attacker wanted to have this trial.”

“What’s the point of that? What would they get out of this?” Momota crossed his arms.

“That’s simple!” I answered. “Isn't that right, Shirogane-san?”

“W-What?” The girl looked at me with worry and confusion.

“You tried to kill Amami-kun.”

“Woah, woah! Where’s this coming from?!” Momota jumped on the defense. Of course he would.

“Where from? As if you need to ask. She was gone during the period of the murder, using the secret door in the women’s bathroom to go to her secret lair, moving to the library, using Kaede’s plot against her and as a distraction, almost killing Rantaro, had it not been for my fast reaction. It’s all very simple and straightforward when you look at it.”

“…While that sounds plausible, it’s a bit of a stretch. She only left for the bathroom. Meanwhile, we have a lot of people with no alibis at all.” Tojo explained simply. I furrowed my eyebrows.

“That’s a very typical degenerate male thing to do, y'know, jumping to conclusions and accusing a girl!” Chabashira stuck her noise high in the air. This wasn't going as planned.

“I-I don’t think that me going to the bathroom is that suspicious… You don’t have an alibi either! And neither does Akamatsu-san!”

“Still insistent that Akamatsu-san is the blackened, eh? Go on, tell her, Ultimate Pianist.” I looked at said pianist, but she didn't answer.

“Akamatsu-san. Tell her about the shot put.” I beckoned, but she just shook there.

“Akamatsu-san…” Saihara gasped.

“I… I…” Akamatsu wanted to say something, but couldn’t. Something was wrong. Shit, had I already made a mistake?

“Well that just spells guilt if I’ve ever seen it!” Iruma cackled, spit-spikes coming out of her mouth.

“It is quite an odd response,” Shinguuji pulled on his cap. Everyone was slowly starting to suspect Akamatsu. I needed to change that.

“Come on already! Tell them about how you threw the shot put!” I asked, getting irritated.

“She threw a shot put?” Kiibo asked.

“You mean, she attacked Amami-kun? His injury was caused by a shot put, after all,” Hoshi pulled on his hat.

“So she’s the one who injured him? Poor guy…” Yonaga nodded to herself. I was starting to sweat.

“No, no! She threw the ball, yes, but it didn’t hurt Amam-!”

“How did it not hurt him? He almost died!” Shirogane reasoned, and I cursed the fact that she was almost right. Nobody listened to me anymore, everyone ganging up on Akamatsu. Saihara tried to help her, but to no avail. I had somehow messed up again. After everything, I hadn't been able to keep Akamatsu from taking the blame. God fucking-

The world stopped. The trial grounds around me started to dissipate and a nauseating feeling washed over me, the figures of my classmates glitching and shaking. I was pulled down to the darkness once more.

I had been naïve to imagine that simply saying that Shirogane was the culprit would be a good idea. Guess being straightforward never helps. Was I going to have to wake up to Amamai’s green eyes again? I hoped not, else I might be stuck re-living everything over and over, with only a small chance to claim victory every time.

I think that’s what I hoped for. I couldn't be sure since I didn't feel anything. I couldn't even think my thoughts. Nothing in the space I confined was real.

“Harukawa-san was able to patch him up,” supplied Saihara. “And he’s resting in her room right now. However, I’m hesitant to leave him alone. Who knows how long this trial will go on for?”

I opened my eyes and saw Saihara standing in front of me, explaining Amami’s condition.

“If only Harukawa-san could stay with him…” Akamatsu sighed.

I was glad I didn’t have to do everything again. That would’ve been such a huge pain. This put me just before the first trial. I could still change the outcome!

I wobbled and nearly fell backwards, no more bed to support my sudden arrival from the future.

“Woah! Look out!” Saihara was able to catch me before I fell on the ground.

“T-Thanks…”

“Are you alright?”

“Fine, perfectly fine! Just a little dizzy, nothing a good elevator ride won’t fix, heh. So, about Harukawa-san, I might have an idea…”

 

I had called Monokuma over and asked for Harukawa to stay with Amami. I was standing in the elevator with the others. I looked at Akamatsu and now I saw the lines of guilt and regret more clearly in her face. I sighed and went up to her.

“You nervous?” I asked, smiling. She nodded.

“Don’t worry about it, Akamatsu-san. As long as you tell them everything up front, we can solve this case and indict the real culprit."

“I’ll have to tell them about the shot put, won’t I? About the plan?” asked Akamatsu. She was fidgeting with the straps of her backpack.

“If you do, they will understand. You didn't mean to hurt him, nor did you. It’ll be fine, as long as you’re honest,” Saihara told her, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“I know… but I still nearly killed him! If nothing else, I provided the mastermind a perfect opportunity to not only kill Amami-kun, but to also put the blame on me.”

“But that didn't happen. Akamatsu-san, it’s not your fault. You couldn't have known. We can thank the stars for Amami-kun’s survival, but right now, we need to concentrate on the trial ahead of us. I know you can do it! I will be right there with you, so don’t worry.”

“Shuichi-kun…”

I stopped myself from gagging at their lovely dovey exchange. I could have sworn they weren't like this the first time around.

“We’re here. Let’s go.” I said as the doors opened. “Let’s go crack some skulls. Correctly, this time.”

\- - **COURT IS NOW IN SESSION** \- -

“Alrighty, pay attention now since I’ll only say this once! Here’s how this will go down. Seeing as the victim didn't actually die, I have created a new system called the ‘Bullying Trial’. The concept is similar to the Class Trials and really simple. You will summarize what you know, discuss any findings and evidence, then go on to prove whodunnit!”

“Even when it wasn’t planned, daddy still has such a perfect and straightforward explanation!” gushed Monophanie.

“That’s our pops for ya. Never ceases to amaze,” Monosuke said, pushing up his glasses.

“Hell yeah! Finally, we get to see blood, sweat, and tears! About time a fucking trial happened!” Monokid waved his guitar around.

Monodam stood quietly. Again.

”Any questions?” Monokuma asked, rubbing his paw against himself in pride.

“What about Harukawa?” asked Momota.

“What about her, star-boy?” tilted Monokuma his head.

“I mean where is she? You didn't do anything to her, did you?” he shook his fist at the bear.

“Nope! Remember, I can’t exactly do much against you guys if you don’t go out of your way to harm me. I left her to tend over the splattered avocado. Ain't I nice?”

“What if she has important information?” asked Hoshi, rolling the candy stick in his hands.

Yonaga tiled from side to side." Yeah! It wouldn't be nice to leave her all alone like that!” 

“Ugh, friggin’ kids; they never listen to their elders.” Monokuma spread his hands out, glaring menacingly at the students. “Maki Harukawa had _nothing_ to do with the murder! She didn't do shit, she doesn't know shit! Are you happy?”

A murmur of agreement spread across the room. “Good, now get to it!”

“What should we do now?” Kiibo asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Oma put his hands behind his head. “We’re supposed to solve the murder, of course! Start with the basics and build from there.”

“You sound like you have a lot of experience in this,” Tojo noted.

“I _am_ the leader of an evil organization, after all. I’ve done this gig before.”

“If I may begin,” asked Shinguuji. “I would like to ask a simple and important question: Why did the attacker not use the First-Blood Perk?”

“If there is a reason,” began Hoshi. “then the attacker wanted to have this trial.”

“What’s the point of that? What would they get out of this?” the astronaut crossed his arms.

“Maybe they didn't have the time to simply collect it? It would be suspicious if someone suddenly disappeared during the body announcement, and it happened only an hour before the deadline anyways,” I supplied. It was true, although not really important to the case. I needed to steer this in the right direction. “In regards to this, a better question would be why did the attacker only wait until now to, well, attack?” I could just say everything out loud and declare the culprit just like last time, but it seemed straightforward answers weren't going to fly here. I needed to help them get to the right solution on their own.

“I think that the reason for that would be the trap me and Akamatsu-san set up,” Saihara explained. “Maybe the attacker was pressured into acting on the last minute by something; a possibility would be our trap.”

“So, it could only have been either you or Bakamatsu. Case solved!” Irumi cackled. “I’m such a genius!”

“There are actually three suspects,” I reminded sternly. “You’re forgetting the mastermind. Actually, they are the most likely candidate. After all, if it was them, then missing the First-Blood Perk would also make sense.”

“But couldn't the mastermind be one of them? Who else knew about the trap?” Yumeno questioned.

“Actually…” Akamatsu started. “I have something to confess.” That caught everyone’s attention.

“A confession already?” Shinguuji mused.

“Oh, oh! Are you going to say you did it?” Oma leaned forward in anticipation.

“When Saihara-kun and I set up the trap… I was aiming to catch the mastermind and… kill them.”

Everyone was riled up, but calmed down after Saihara asked them to listen to her.

“There’s a ventilation shaft that connects a classroom by the stairs. While setting up the trap with Saihara-kun, I moved a few books to make a way from the shaft to where one of the cameras would be positioned, so that if I threw a ball down there, it would lead to one of the cameras… which is where I had hoped to lure the mastermind. I wanted to end the killing game before it even started… I wanted to end everything bad that was happening to us… It worked, but… it wasn’t the mastermind who sprung the trap, but Amami-kun.”

She took a deep breath as she got that off her chest. Meanwhile, reactions differed from person to person.

“You did what now?!” Momota exclaimed.

“Oh, dear…” Tojo gasped.

“Not what I expected, but still interesting!” the purple haired leader said.

“Tenko can’t believe a girl would come up with such a heinous plot!”

“So this proves that Bakamatsu was the idiot who did it?”

“That’s wrong!” Saihara exclaimed. Hearing that, I knew I could take the back seat and just enjoy the view this time. I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. “We tested it out after the attack, and as it turns out, the ball _couldn't_  have killed Amami-kun, or even hurt him!”

“How do you mean? A drop like that from the sky, you’d think god was behind it!” Yonaga proclaimed.

“While her plan was genius, she miscalculated the landing. I tested it out, and the ball dropped _beside_  Amami, not on him.”

“Still, she tried to kill someone. And unless your second try has a 100% certification that proves otherwise, she might’ve even done it!” Oma smiled widely, putting Akamatsu under the spotlight. Before either her or Saihara could shoot back, her classmates came to the rescue.

“Shut your trap! Ain't no way in hell Akamatsu-san did it!” Momota roared, fist up.

“Who are you to point fingers, you despicable male?” Chabashira joined as well, glaring daggers at Oma.

“Oooh, scary, scary!” Oma’s eyes turned watery as he grasped at air, faking being hurt.

“Gonta sure that Akamatsu-san innocent! No way she could have done it!” Gokuhara assured, nodding vehemently.

“Akamatsu-san, your intentions were pure. You did nothing wrong,” Kiibo assured.

“They’re right. Even if the way you went about it is questionable, you still tried to save all of us. For that, I am grateful.” Tojo added with a bow.

“You guys…” Kaede whispered, on the verge of tears. I smiled. Leave it to your classmates to cheer you up.

“Look at them. I’m tearing up!” Monophanie cried, tears coming out of her robotic eyes.

“Now these are the true bond of friendship!” Monosuke joined in.

“Quiet, quiet!” Monokuma would have none of it. “All of you, shut up! This is the good part!”

“That’s all well and good and whatever,” Iruma continued. “But it doesn't really clear up anything about who _did_ nearly kill the momma’s boy.”

“Someone who knew about the trap the detective _guy_ and Akamatsu-san set up! Tenko sees no other possibility.”

“But who else could have known of the trap?” Kiibo questioned.

“Didn’t Iruma-san make cameras?” Gonta asked.

“Well, yeah, but I didn't know what they were for, so it couldn't have been me,” the blond inventor scoffed.

“Not to mention, her alibi at the time of the murder saves her from suspicion,” Tojo reminded everyone.

_Alibi. Perfect segue, Tojo-san._

“Then we need to check who doesn't have an alibi for the time!” I declared.

\- - **Mass Panic Debate: START!** \- -

“Tenko couldn’t have done it! Yumeno-san can prove that!” she explained. / “I made the cameras, but I have an alibi!” explained Iruma. /  “I was in my room the whole time,” said Kiibo.

“I can…? I don’t remember where I was…“ replied the sleepy magician. / “You didn’t even ask what they were for?” asked Oma. / “I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” the robot continued.

“You were with us in the strategy meeting, along with everyone else!“ Momota sweatdroped. / “W-well, no… I pulled an all-nighter for those babies, so the reason was the last thing I was worried about!” elaborated Miu. / “Don’t worry kid, I’m in the same boat,” Hoshi comforted.

“ **Only Amami-kun** left the meeting!“ Kaito yelled. / “Iruma-san was with us in the cafeteria, so she couldn't have done it,“ said Kirumi. / “However, if we were the attackers, we could have been caught on cameras anyway,“ Hoshi told.

“ _I hear it_! Did you say that only Amami-kun left the meeting, Momota-kun?” Kaede asked.

“Uh… yeah. Why?” the austronaut scratched his head in confusion.

“Didn’t Gokuhara-kun also leave?” asked Tojo.

“Oh yeah…” Momota suddenly remembered.

“Gonta lock himself in AV room,” Gokuhara confessed.

“Then that brings up a problem,” the maid described.

I could already see where this was going. After all, I had done this before, right? (have you actually) “Tojo-san, are you suggesting that Gokuhara-kun was able to injure Amami-kun from the AV room? That’s quite the far stretch, literally.”

“In fact, the door to the AV room couldn't be opened!” Akamatsu added.

“Not fully, no. But at the very least, an arm could be pushed through the gap,” the maid held one arm up in demonstration.

“And the door to the library could be opened with the rolled-up projector,” I finished for her. She nodded at me, surprised I was catching on so quickly.

“Exactly. With that, it would have been possible for Gokuhara-kun to throw the shot put through the gaps and-”

“And through the open bookcase?” I interjected.

“Pardon?”

“That’s right. It wouldn't be possible. When Amami-kun was murdered, there was a bookcase that held the secret entrance to the library in the way, so even if Gokuhara-kun could have thrown the ball, it wouldn't have hit Amami-kun,” Saihara explained.

“A swing and a miss just like with Akamatsu-san,” I shrugged. Even if it delivered some discomfort, I needed to keep myself entertained and concentrated somehow.

“Ah, then that wouldn’t work. I apologize,” Tojo curtsied.

“Then it had to the one of the three degenerate males that had no alibis!” Chabashira mentioned.

“Ah, but I saw both Hoshi-kun and Kee-boy in the hallways!” Oma giggled, wagging his finger. “When would any of us have the time to murder Amami-kun and then run back?”

“He’s got a point,” Hoshi commented. “Although we definitely had the chance, it would be unlikely.”

“Another thing that interests me is the reason as to why Amami-kun decided to visit the library at that specific time.” Shinguuji asked again, rubbing a hand up and down his face. I knew the answer, and I even considered telling hinting at it, but decided that Amami could deal with that mess himself.

“He had his Monopad with him, didn't he? At least, that’s what the pictures showed,” Momota reminded with a hand on his forehead.

“But there was nothing of the likes when we arrived at the scene,” uttered Saihara.

“So the attacker must've stolen the Monopad!” Yonaga vocalized, jumping up and down at the prospect of being useful.

“And if we go by the assumption that the mastermind tried to kill Rantaro, we wouldn't even be able to find it.” I concluded. “The only way we can be certain is if we ask Amami-kun himself."

“But we have nothing else to go on…” Yumeno grasped her hat and pulled it in front of her eyes.

“I think we can conclude that whoever attacked Amami-kun had to be the mastermind,” Akamatsu explained.

“But can we be sure that the blackened is the mastermind?” Shirogane asked, and I knew exactly where she was going with this. I had to immediately shoot her down, but...

“It would make the most sense. We saw the bookcase close as soon as we entered the library, which is where the mastermind escaped off to," Saihara did my work for me.

“So there’s no way that someone could’ve been hiding in the library before or after the attempted murder,” Hoshi confirmed to himself, looking away. I remembered that he had brought up the argument that someone could’ve been hiding all this time behind the books. I was glad we didn't have to waste time on that, but sad at the same time since he didn't even have a chance of voicing his theory. “The mastermind who is neither Akamatsu-san nor Saihara-kun, knew about the trap they set, and was able to attack Amami-kun unnoticed,” concluded the tennis pro. “Quite the criteria.”

“The disappearance act is easy to explain, as Saihara-chan already mentioned: the open bookshelf probably leads to the mastermind’s lair, so it would make sense if they opened the door, pummeled the avocado, and left the same way they came from, all in less than ten seconds,” Oma summarized.

“Akamatsu-san threw the ball that distracted Amami-kun from his real attacker,” I quickly supplied. “There’s no question about that. I also saw Saihara-kun arrive in front of the library, so it couldn't be either of them. Leaving only the mastermind who could have _actually_ injured Amami-kun. Going through one of the main entrances of the library would have made the mastermind run straight into us, so they had to use another means of escape.”

“So it had to be someone with no alibi!” Chabashira brought up again.

“Which would be Oma-kun, Kiibo-kun and Hoshi-kun,” Saihara counted, looking each boy in the eye.

“Nishishishi… you know, for a detective, you’re pretty slow, Saihara-chan!” Kokichi mocked.

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“Think about it. We know the time frame, we know how the murder was committed and we know where from. If we take all this into account, someone’s alibi reeks of lies. And it’s not me this time!” he made an act of smelling himself as if to confirm. “Someone who you think has an alibi is not telling the truth.”

“Someone’s alibi…” Akamatsu muttered, when her eyes lit up.

“I get it!” she announced. “Shinguuji-kun, you said that Shirogane-san went to the bathroom at one point, right?”

“Indeed. Now that you mention it, it was around the time of the murder,” he described. “At the very least, she didn’t come out of there until after the body announcement rung. Kehehe.”

“W-Wait hold on now!” the otaku tried to defend herself. “I just went to restroom, you can’t seriously be suspecting me because of that!”

“But it gives you the perfect time frame to have committed the crime,” the Ultimate Detective confessed.

“You’re basing your suspicions off from her not being able to hold her bladder? What a typical degenerate thing to say for a _men_ ace!” the aikido master scrutinized.

Oma yawned. “We’ve confirmed that there’s at the very least one secret entrance in this school. Who’s to say there isn’t another one in the girls’ bathroom?”

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” Iruma interjected.

“Gonta not believe Tsumugi-san hurt Amami-kun Not possible!!” the gentleman concurred.

“I’m going to have to agree, it seems pretty farfetched to suspect her for only going to the bathroom," Momota swept his coat and stared determinedly at the rest.

This was definitely unexpected. If this keeps going, we might have to go through a-

“This is quite troublesome, it seems we’re evenly split in our opinions,” Tojo cupped her cheek and I felt a mixed feeling of excitement and dread at what was to come next.

“What was that?” the silence that had fallen was broken by the mechanical bear. “Did you just say… ‘split’? Like, something being halved? Like _banana_ _split_?”

“Oh boy, oh boy!” Monotaro was positively beaming.

“Fuck yeah! About damn time we got a real show started!” Monokid cheered.

Monodam said nothing as his siblings rejoiced.

“Ssssss-CRUM DEBAAAAAATE!” Monokuma rejoiced.

“Scrum-what-now?” Chabashira scrunched her eyebrows.

“Weeeeeeeeell, seeing as you guys are split right in the middle,” the bear began explaining. “then we have to resolve this conundrum _somehow_ , right? Right?! The Ultimate Academy is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!”

\- - _Split Opinions_  - -

Monokuma took out a large key and inserted it in a round panel, turning it.

Doing so made the floating stands we were on fly into the roof to a special white room meant exactly for the occasion where a debate would be split evenly.

[“ **Is Shirogane the culprit?** ”]

On the left side were those who argued that “ _Shirogane can’t be the culprit!_ ” led by Shirogane, Momota, Yumeno, Iruma, Chabashira, Tojo, Gokuhara and Yonaga.

While on the right side were those who argued that “ _Shirogane could be the culprit!_ ” led by Akamatsu, Saihara, myself, Oma, K1-B0, Shinguuji and Hoshi.

\- - **Scrum Debate: START!** \- -

“This is ridiculous; you can’t make an accusation simply because she went to the bathroom!” Momota began.

“But it’s because of that that she falls under the perfect **time frame** ,” commented Shinguuji.

“She isn’t the only one who was missing at the time,” said Yumeno.

Hoshi argued: “It’s suspicious that she went into the bathroom exactly when Amami-kun was **attacked**.”

“The library entrances were all guarded!” spoke Iruma.

“Not if there’s a secret **third** entrance in the library!” Oma explained.

“How could she have murdered Amami-kun if Akamatsu-san had the murder weapon which was used as a distraction?” challenged Tojo.

Kiibo quickly detailed: “There’s a **storage area**  with many identical shot puts that anyone can acquire.”

“Then if there are two murder weapons, where did the other one go?” Chabashira countered.

I shot that down immediately: “She could have taken it with her to her lair; the blackened is the **mastermind**!”

“Would Shirogane-san have strength to use ball?” Gokuhara questioned earnestly.

Saihara explained: “She didn’t have to directly hit him with it; a **throw**  from the secret entrance would have done the job.”

“This is so stupid! I just went to the bathroom! I didn't murder Amami-kun!” Shirogane defended.

“That's right, you didn't murder him; you **failed to kill** Amami-kun because he’s still alive!” Akamatsu finished.

_“This is our answer!”_

“Shirogane-san, you just said kill, didn't you? That can’t be, because Amami-kun is still alive!” Akamatsu explained.

“S-So what? It was just a slip of the tongue! It still proves nothing!” the cos-girl sweated nervously under the gaze of her classmates.

“A slip of the tongue? Quite an odd slip; were you expecting – or dare I say, hoping – that Amami-kun would die?” I inquired, already knowing the answer. This only made her even more flustered.

“Right now, you are the most suspicious one out of all of us,” Saihara concluded.

“Here’s an idea!” Oma presented. “Why don’t we test out our theory, huh? Let’s go check the girls’ bathroom and see if there are any secret doors there.”

Shirogane was at a loss "N-No, that’s…” . She knew she was about to lose. I felt pride, even if she _was_ one of my classmates, but quickly shrugged it off when remembering everything that she had done to us.

“That’s not a bad idea, surprisingly. Good thinking, squirt,” Iruma complimented.

“S-Squirt…? Just because I’m small… UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Oma began crying, but the waterworks soon subsided. “Ah, so much better. Had been holding that in ever since the trial started.”

“Akamatsu-san is clearly the one who kil- tried to murder Amami-kun!” Shirogane tried again.

“We proved already that Akamatsu-san’s attempted failed, so that’s a no-go," Momota shook his head.

“So what if it failed that time?! It succeeded in knocking out Amami-kun!”

“Not if the mastermind was the one who attacked him first,” the capped detective said calmly.

“What sort of stupid theory is that?! How come everyone just believes this shit?!” Shirogane was blowing up more and more. She was at her wit’s end.

“You wanted a trial,” Akamatsu began.

“No! You shut up!”

“So that you could put the blame on me…”

“It is your fault! You’re the guilty one, not me!”

“Therefore clearing your name and getting my executed, along with everyone else!”

“Why is this happening?! This isn't how it’s supposed to go!” Shirogane cried.

“Don’t worry, Shiro-chan!” I mocked. “In another life, you succeeded in throwing Akamatsu under the bus. But not this time, I’m afraid!”

“All this is baseless conjecture; you've got no proof! I might be suspicious, but there’s no proof that I-”

Momota tapped the podium and decided: “I propose we let Saihara-san investigate the women’s bathroom."

“-What.”

“Are all the girls alright with this?” Akamatsu asked.

“Tenko will keep an eye on him, but otherwise agrees!”

“W-what?!”

“If it’s the only way, I guess it’s alright,” Yumeno yawned, about to fall asleep from exhaustion.

“No! Stop! You can’t do that!”

“I have no quarrels with it,” Tojo replied.

“Angie thinks it’s a great idea!”

“Then it’s settled. Monokuma, are we allowed to leave to check it out?”

“Hmm…” Monokuma scratched his round, metallic chin. “While it does kinda kill the momentum of the trial, I do feel my legs getting stiff and my butt’s starting to hurt. This chair is terrible!”

“…You c-can’t do this to me! You n-n-need me! You-You can’t just allow this to happen! We can erase their memories again! We can do it all over; you can’t let me take the blame!”

“Erase our memories?” Akamatsu shared the same confusion as the rest of the class, sans me (you never had memories to begin with).

“So were you working with Monokuma or not?” Iruma yelled, anger boiling inside of her.

“Shut up, slut!” Shirogane yelled back, and turned to Monokuma.

“Sure I can! Watch me!” Monokuma stood up and pointed at Akamatsu. “Be a dear and re-tell us the events of the murder, would you?”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Shirogane shrieked.

“It all started a few days prior,” the pianist started. ”We attempted the Death Road of Despair, and failed miserably. After that, Monokuma announced the motives of the First-Blood Perk and the time limit. On the last day of the limit, me and Saihara-kun decided to set up a trap for the mastermind after finding the secret passageway in the library. However, the more we talked about the plan, the more I wanted to end this killing game. Coupled with the pressure of failing all of you, I formed a plan to use the trap we set to kill the mastermind. Unbeknownst to me, however, Amami-kun seemed to have reached a similar disposition. He excused himself during the strategy meeting to go check out the library. I can’t say for certain what brought him here or if he knew about the door, but he was clearly searching for something. Unwittingly, he sprung the trap, and Saihara-kun ran to confront whoever had gone inside the library. I on the other hand threw a shot put down the ventilation shaft that was supposed to kill the mastermind, but ended up distracting Amami-kun instead. Taking the opportunity, the mastermind who had also excused themselves came out of the secret passage and threw a shot put at Amami-kun, injuring him badly. They made their escape to their secret lair, but not before Saihara-kun and the rest noticed the passageway close. I think that their arrival and commotion outside of the library cause the mastermind to panic, which led to them failing to kill Amami-kun. With that, there can be only one culprit; Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer and mastermind of the killing game!” Akamatsu finished off, pointing at her accusingly.

“In the words of our predecessor…” I began, raising my arm. “ _You’re the only one_!” I yelled and pointed at Shirogane the same way Akamatsu had. She broke down and pulled on her hair, falling backwards on the ground.

“That definitely took an unexpected turn! Cast your votes and pray to whatever god you believe in!” Monokuma announced, and as each of our faces scrolled past. Shirogane’s stood still as the final verdict, with the display claiming in proud, bold letters:

**G U I L T Y**

"Welp, looks like you got it right!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Fool me once', as they say! No second murder for you, Miss Cosplayer! How'd you like the story so far? I'm very interested in seeing any reviews.


	3. A different path

Maki Harukawa was sitting in her room, arms crossed, staring at the boy in in her bed. She never thought she’d actually be in a position to say that, and yet…

Patching Amami up proved to be more of a hassle than she had expected. His wound kept on bleeding and bleeding, but his breath never gave in, even if it was on the verge of ceasing. The Ultimate Mystery had twitched a few times in his state of unconsciousness, murmured something about ‘library, mastermind, time limit’, or that’s what she thought at least.

She felt bad for him. As an assassin, she wasn’t meant to feel much, but she still felt bad for him. A little bit, not much. Poor guy had wandered around where he shouldn’t have, wrong guy at the right place at the wrong time. She sighed. If fate would have it, he would die soon, succumbing to his injuries. She had done the best she could, but in the end, there was no real hope-

“Nrgk…”

Harukawa’s head shot up. She had heard a voice. She moved towards Amami, and listened. His face and body were still, head wrapped heavily in bandages. Suddenly, his face scrunched up in pain, and his long eyelashes started to flutter. Amami slowly opened his eyes, and coughed up some blood. He looked up shakily at the supposed child caregiver and offered a crooked smile.

“Hey there... how ya doin’?”

* * *

 

“No fucking way. The virgin four-eyes was the big baddie behind all this the whole time?” Iruma gasped in disbelief.

“So Shirogane _did_ try kill Amami-kun?” Gokuhara was just as flabbergasted.

“It’s always the ones you suspect the least…” Chabashira shook her head, giving Shirogane a death glare. The corners of my mouth twitched upwards at the fact that she didn't comment on the mastermind being female.

“N-No… y-you’re all wrong! I’m not…”

Tojo was ever the intone speaker, but there was a sudden edge to her words. “Shirogane-san, it’s too late. The vote has been cast, I’m afraid.”

“Shirogane-san… all this time… and we almost wouldn't have even known…” Momota clenched his fist, thinking about a much grimmer outcome to this story. If only he knew.

“But… Shirogane-san… why?” Akamatsu was still baffled. Even though she had outed out the mastermind in the end, she was still shocked from the fact that one of her classmates could do something, not to mention someone like Shirogane. The cosplayer stood silent, gazing down absentmindedly.

“Her plan was to frame you for murdering Amami-kun,” I explained. “Since only the victim and blackened knew what had really transpired, it would be easy to commit a murder, start the killing game, even if the blackened was the mastermind. I believe…” Now I had to choose my words carefully. I couldn't let on too much, else I would become suspicious myself. “I believe that she might have even thought about putting the blame on you, and when voted, you would be elected guilty. It would've made sense, as she is the mastermind.”

Monokuma explained everything that happened behind the scenes: “Yup, sucks to be her! Akamatsu’s ball completely missed poor Amami; he got a real fright out of that one! Just as he thought that everything was alright, cos-girl over there snuck in through the bookcase entrance, ready to wallop him on the back of the head! However, before she could do that, Cappy and co caused such a ruckus that the Ultimate Amnesiac’s attention was brought away from his distraction, forcing Shirogane to just throw the shot put at him and hightail it outta there! What Deus Ex Machina style timing!”

“So that’s that, huh? If Amami-chan would've been killed in that secret attack, we could've easily blamed Akamatsu-chan and the real blackened would've gotten away. Wouldn't that have been a shame!” Oma snarked, lips curled unnaturally upwards.

Saihara sighed, exasperated. “Whatever the case may be, that didn’t happen. We found the real culprit and mastermind, so now we’ve got nothing else to worry about.”

“Upupupu… You think so, detective?” Monokuma’s sinister laugh was ten times more evil and malicious than ever before. “Upupu… BWAHAHAHAHA! Show’s what you know! You think we’re done already?” I dreaded this moment. I didn’t want to have to live this through, but it seemed it was going to come one way or another. Surprisingly, the Monokubs shivered at the iciness of their father’s tone.

“Have you forgotten? If the blackened is pointed out correctly… they get the big hammer of punishment!” The bear jumped up and spread his arms wide.

“Wait… punishment?” Kiibo asked, antenna hunching into a question mark.

“Yes! Or more accurately… a spectacular, once in a lifetime, completely customized execution made specially fit for Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer!”

“N-No! P-Please! You c-c-can’t!” Shirogane went down on her knees, beginning Monokuma. “Please don’t do it! I-I can’t die like this!”

“Hah! Now that’s a joke! Even after you pledged yourself to this killing game, you’re still acting like you bear no consequences! It was all in the fine print, should’ve used those glasses of yours to read- oh wait that’s right they’re not even real!” Monokuma laughed at his own joke as Shirogane shivered, face losing all color and body gone stiff. She had done many terrible things to us, there was no argument against that… but did she really deserve the fate Monokuma had in store for her? She was the mastermind, yes, but… Did she _want_ to be the mastermind? None of us wanted to be in this game; to confirm all you had to do was ask the students. But... what were we like before the killing game? If the audition tapes were anything to go by, we were much different. Momota didn’t deserve the fate he succumbed to in the 5 th trial, but he was still a psychopath who only joined to kill people! Ironic that his one and only kill would be out of compassion and in order to save everyone. If we can make Momota an exception, why not Shirogane as well? It wouldn't be right to condemn Shirogane to the execution when she was in the same boat with us now, abandoned by her only ally Monokuma.

I looked at Saihara and he was sweating slightly as well. Akamatsu seemed completely shaken at the implications. I looked back at Monokuma, realizing I had to once again change the course of history.

“ _Allow me to interject_!” I yelled, catching Monokuma’s attention.

“You again? Y’know, you've been making an awful lot of noise this whole trial! And I don’t even remember your name!”

“You plan on killing Shirogane-san, right?”

“Duh! The rules state so, and who am I to break them no-“

“You’re wrong! The rules state that if a blackened is correctly identified during a Class Trial, they will be punished. However, this isn't a Class Trial, is it?” It seemed my words were starting to sink in to Monokuma.

“Amami-kun is still alive, and you said it yourself that this was a Bullying Trial. Therefore, you can’t kill her,” I hoped that my words had some effect. I glanced back at Shirogane, and instead of frightened she was now thoroughly confused.

“Hm… interesting, interesting. You got a point, skimpy, I’ll give ya that! The rules don’t state anything about _not_ murdering the non-murderer-blackened in a despairingly brutal and ironic fashion, but I can always just make a new rule for that-“

“ _Hold it_!” this time, Akamatsu interrupted. Her voice startled everyone in the room, especially Shirogane. “That wouldn't be fair. She didn't kill anyone, whatever the reason, so you can’t kill her! It wouldn't be just!” Her words reached out to not only Monokuma but also her classmates.

“Seriously, blondie? After everything this chick’s done to ya, even after she tried to paint your hands red instead, you’re still defending her?”

“Now that’s rue friendship right there, that is!” Monosuke pushed up his glasses and nodded to himself in confirmation.

“Such compassion…” Monaphie remarked, hugging herself and giggling.

Monotaro scoffed. “Even when she did nothing do deserve it, she’s still being defended; that’s either extremely kind of extremely naïve!”

“Living with the mastermind and an almost-murderer would make for a pretty exciting fucking scenario!” Monokid shouted, sliding on their little private stage.

“THEY-HELP-EACH-OTHER,” the sudden voice of Monodam alerted his siblings. “THEY-TRULY-GET-ALONG!”

“R-Right! Despite what she did, she shouldn’t be killed! That’s too inhumane!” Saihara joined in.

“I hate standing up for her, knowing she was the mastermind behind all this,” Momota scratched his head and looked away. “But I can’t allow you to just kill her either.”

“Atua agrees, and if God says she should live, then so does Angie!”

“Condemning her to death would make us no better than she was,” Hoshi voiced.

“W-what are you…” the Ultimate Cosplayer could only watch in confusion as her classmates joined in, not letting her die. She knew what awaited her, and it was frightening beyond belief. But how could they stand up for her, even after what she’d done to them?

“Hey, hey! Don’t forget who your headmaster is, brats! I will not be talked down upon!”

“You have no choice, lest you go against _all_ of us,” Tojo said like it was the most simple thing in the world.

“Tenko is not afraid of you! I’ll beat you so hard you’ll wish you wouldn’t have messed with us!”

While timid, even Yumeno threw a line at the robot bear. “Y-Yeah! I’ll cast a hex on you, so don’t try anything funny!”

“Are you all seriously going to gang up on me now, you bastards?! You better watch your mouths!” Monokuma was not having it. Seemed like he was intent on having someone die that day, and if it wasn’t Amami, it would definitely be Shirogane. “I don’t care either way! I’m going on with the execution whether you like it or no-“

“That’s beary wrong!” the cries of the Monokubs proved to silence Monokuma for the third time that day.

“E-Even my own kids?” Monokuma was stunned.

“W-Well… we were thinking, y’see, and we though…” Monotaro started.

“We thought that it wouldn’t be very fair to kill Shirogane-san even after everything…” Monophanie continued.

“And it would certainly make things more entertaining trying to live with the mastermind now revealed,” Monosuke join in.

“Imagining the chaos that would create! Aw man, I can already fucking imagine it! God damn, that gets my blood pumping!” Monokid adjoined.

“THEY-CAN-LEARN-TO-PUT-THEIR-DIFFERENCES-ASIDE-TO-GET-ALONG,” Monodam concluded.

Monokuma stood there, silent. The combined forces of the students along with his precious children seemed to have finally shut the robotic bear up. The silence was deafening, not a word spoken or breath taken. It seemed that he was having a battle on the inside between killing Shirogane or letting her live.

Just as it was getting awkward, instead of saying anything, Monokuma simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The students took positions to battle the Exisals, but instead, the phones buzzed. Taking mine out, I smiled at the first rule but couldn’t help but feel anticipated disappointment at the second.

_#16: If a non-murder blackened is outed during a Bullying Trial, they will not be executed.  
#16.5: If the blackened is not found in the Bullying Trial, the rest will still be punished._

“Just because this turned out differently,” Monokuma barely whispered, defeated. “Doesn’t mean that we’re done here just yet.” He chuckled, seeming to liven up again. “Upupupu! I have many more motives for you kids, so don’t you despair! There will be a murder sooner or later, so watch yer heads!” With that, the bear family disappeared, and the trial room was left to the students.

It was silent for a while. A silence of victory. They had found out the blackened and the mastermind in one go, and had been able to save one of their classmates.

“Wow. I must admit, I am impressed,” Oma was the one to break the silence. “I mean, she only forced us into killing each other, not to mention she _actually tried to kill one of us_ and blame it on someone else. I did not imagine you’d be stupid enough to defend her,” he stared at his fingers, face bored and unamused. “Whatever, you guys do you. I’m not going to fall for her pity party like the rest of you idiots. I’ll be there to say, ‘I told you so’ when we find out she tried to wham another person in the back of the head,” cackling, the Ultimate Supreme Leader left the room. Shinguuji followed him silently and after throwing one last glare at Shirogane and flipping her off Iruma left as well. Slowly, students started piling out one by one, some throwing glances at the cosplayer while others chose to ignore her completely.

Finally, it was only her, Saihara and Akamatsu left.

“Shirogane-san…” the pianist murmured, walking closer to the former mastermind. Saihara wanted to stop her, but shook his head instead, following her.

Shirogane said nothing, opting to find the ground much more interesting than Akamatsu.

“A-Akamatsu-san, I don’t think now’s the time…” Saihara tried to convince her, to little avail.

“Shirogane-san talk to me! Please!” Akamatsu asked again. Only now did Shirogane stand straight and walk off.

“W-Wait, where are you-“

“Leave me alone,” she shot back, clearly trying to sound venomous, but not really pulling it off. She ran away, not looking back. Saihara went up to Akamatsu and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Akamatsu-san… what were you hoping for, exactly?” he asked.

“…I’m not sure. I think I wanted to find out… why she did it. Everyone has their reasons, right?”

“…I guess. Even with murders, there’s always a motive or trigger that caused it. But…” Saihara scratched his head awkwardly, pulling at his cap.

“What? What is it?”

“Well, don’t you think that maybe she just… wanted to do it? She was working with Monokuma, and he just wants to make us suffer for no real reason. What makes you think she is any different?” It was a good question. Of course, there was another, even better question left unsaid. _Was it a good idea to let her live?_

“…I don’t know for certain, but I can only hope that isn’t the case. I just… can’t live with the fact that she did it just for fun. It makes me feel like… if I were found guilty in her stead, I would be seen in the same, evil light as her. I want to understand what made her do the things she did. Which is why I couldn’t let her die; I couldn’t shift the blame onto her like she did to me,” the Ultimate Pianist looked up at the Ultimate Detective, determination in her eyes. “Until I know for certain why, I can neither forgive nor judge her for her actions.”

Saihara was taken back. He hadn’t expected such a response, but at the same time, it didn’t surprise him. He found it to be very much like Akamatsu to try and find the very best in people. He smiled at her and nodded. “Yeah, I get it. I also want to know why she did it. Let’s find out the truth behind this killing game, and put an end to it.”

“Of course!” Akamatsu’s radiating smile would cheer up Saihara and the others in the morning, ensuring that all hope was not lost. They had gone one trial with no murders, and if something can be done once, it can be achieved again.

It was nearing night time. Everyone was tired and exhausted from the class trial, so they had returned to their respective dorms. Before nighttime, however, I had one more visit to make for the day.

I knocked on a door on the girls’ side of the dorms, waiting a few seconds before it came ajar slightly.

“Good evening, Harukawa-san,” I greeted.

“What do you want?” Curt and to the point as always.

“I just came to check up on Amami-kun. How is he?”

“See for yourself,” she sighed and opened the door for me. I walked inside her room, and walked to the bed. Amami was lying on it, breathing evenly and looking calm.

“How’s the wound?”

“I managed to stop the bleeding, and he seems to have made a miraculous recovery in the meantime. I didn’t expect him to wake up already.”

“He was already awake?!” I cried in disbelief. She nodded at me. “Can he talk?”

“He said a few words, but he wasn’t much for conversation before falling asleep again. Best thing to do is to let him rest for now; at the very least he isn’t dead or dying.”

“How long until he makes a full recovery?”

To that, she simply snorted and gave me a bemused smile. “That will take quite a while, the wound was still pretty severe. He will be sleeping for the next few days or so, but I’d expect him to wake up soon enough.”

“And where are you going to sleep?” I asked. She shrugged and pointed at the ground.

“Right…” I nodded, looking at Amami once more. He looked so peaceful, like he wasn’t even aware that he had almost been killed. His rigid body, closed eyes, hair falling in front of his face… I swallowed, being brought back to the scene of his death. My breathing quickened and my heart grew heavy. I needed to leave before I threw up. I walked to the door, but turned around one last time.

“Thank you, Harukawa-san. For everything.”

She didn't say anything for a second. I almost hoped that I had struck her to silence, but she soon nodded, edges much softer than before. I left her dorm room just as the night announcement came on. I looked back on the trial. It was a job well done, in all regards. Amami was alive, and Shirogane was… well, I could worry about her in the morning. Right now, all I cared about was falling on my bed and having a good night’s rest. Things would only get more complicated from here on out.

 

* * *

 

-

_Chapter 1:_

_My Class Trial, Our Class Trial_

_END_

_-_

_Three more students have lost the intent to kill:_

_Rantaro Amami_

_Kaede Akamatsu_

_-_

_Students with the intent to kill:_

_14 remaining_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one's a bit short, but I'm already working hard on the new chapter, which will be coming out in the next few days, hopefully!  
> So much for chapter 1; the most pivotal part of the whole game if you ask me. Though, with something like the butterfly effect, you can never be certain that everything will go according to plan.
> 
> Reviews make me smile! :)


	4. Convergence through the school

_-_

_Chapter 2:_

_A Thin Line Divides Heaven and Hell_

_START_

_-_

_Daily_ _Life_

_-_

* * *

I felt being pulled back by the void. I could not breathe. I couldn’t even feel my nose or mouth to breathe with. It felt like someone was suffocating me again. If only I could have panicked. Amami’s head was bashed in, Akamatsu hung above the piano. Hoshi’s bones sunk to the bottom of the fish tank, Kirumi fell down the well. Yonaga and Chabashira lay dead, Shinguji boiled alive. Iruma chocked her last breath, Gokuhara’s screams faded when the fires increased. Oma’s blood oozed out of the press machine, Momota smiled as his heart stopped. Yumeno got split in half, Harukawa grounded into powder, Kiibo taken apart and dismantled limb from limb, Shirogane turned into an anime doll and trapped in a plastic shipping package, Saihara tortured to death and then exhibited like a serial killer’s magnum opus. Each one came to me more detailed and gruesome than the last.

I jumped up. I found myself in my bed again, covered in cold sweat. I almost expected to see Amami again, but looked around to see my empty room. So not a restart, then. Had everything that happened yesterday been real?

I stood up and looked outside my door. Everything was calm. I closed it again and got dressed. I hadn’t slept a wink due to the nightmares of seeing my dead classmates and I doubted I would any time soon.

I walked through the hallways of the prison-school, and thought to myself. I needed to calm my shaking hands, so I decided to go through yesterday’s events. I woke up, talked to Amami, tried to stop Akamatsu; that reoccurred three times. Right? Or was it only two? Anyways, we were finally able to out Shirogane as the mastermind and save two people. That’s all that mattered, in the end. That we were all alive and well. The audience can go participate in a killing game themselves for all I cared, if they weren’t pleased with how things were going. I almost felt bad for Monokuma; he was surely under a lot of pressure to make this next motive a lethal one. Too bad for him.

I entered the cafeteria and sat myself down on one of the chairs, facing the door. I laid my head in my arms. I needed to come up with a course of action. Experience showed I couldn’t just up and solve every mystery and murder. As far as I could tell, outright stopping the attacks themselves was nearly impossible, but I could definitely stop anyone from getting killed, execution or otherwise. I had been given this power to relive these events, I needed to make use of this. I need to save _everyone_.

I could just reveal everything from start to finish, our real memories, how this is all a reality TV show, but it doesn’t seem likely that they would believe me without doubt or suspicion, not even considering the fact that Monokuma or Team Danganronpa would even allow me to do that in the first place. I’ll just have to go with the flow and not let anyone die.

The only real problem was the first case; all the rest were solved easily enough. Though, I can’t let the blackened kill anyone or get executed themselves, which will definitely become a problem later on. If I keep the victims alive, the trials are surely subject to change.

I groaned and hit my head against the table in exasperation. This was all so difficult and tiring. I already felt like I could just go back to sleep if only the nightmares didn’t keep me awake.

“Woah, I didn’t know you were a masochist!” I looked up and saw Oma walk to the table, cheeky grin. “Although, I can’t recommend hitting your head too hard, you might look like a unicorn with a red horn after a while!”

“Mornin’, Supreme Leader. Any plans to take over the world today? Or maybe you’ll limit yourself to surviving this game for now?” I asked with equal amount of sass, which seemed to have amused the liar. He took a seat opposite of me and poked my face.

“I think you should be more concerned about dying than me. You already look like a murder victim!”

“Aren’t you the charismatic smooth talker. I’m sure girls swoon around you.” I shook my head. “I didn’t get much sleep. Yesterday’s events kept me awake.” The leader seemed to have hummed with a note of understanding, which I would have found surprising had I not known him so well. Though he immediately invalidated that as soon as the scoffed and looked at his fingernails.

“What’re you whining about anyways? Nobody died, right? So what’s the big deal.”

“…you’re glad though, aren’t you?” Instead of responding he looked at me with a raised eyebrow and curious glare. “You don’t show it, Oma-kun, but you’re just as glad that nobody died as everyone else.”

I stood straight in my seat and stretched. “You may not think much of us right now, but we’re still in this together. We’re like a dysfunctional family, y’know?” I didn't miss the slight twitch around his edges at the mention of that. He had never revealed much about himself, but the memories he had right now about his past were definitely not good ones. “But don't worry, your secret's safe with me.”

"Which secret?" He asked, cocking his head. So he’s not denying anything? Clever move.

"That you care more than you let on," I answered simply. I thought to myself that right now was the perfect time to start working on preventing the next murder. Oma played an important role in both the motive and alibis of everyone, but how to use this... The liar would inform Hoshi of who had his motive video and indirectly get Gokuhara to kidnap everyone. Actually, if he succeeded in his plan, it would mean that we could resolve this immediately. Maybe I was wrong and no class trial even needed to happen?

"Actually, there is one thing I would like in exchange," I said, leaning closer to the boy. That seemed to have piqued his interested because he leaned in as well.

"Ooo, are we going to form a conspiracy?"

"Something like that. I have a strong feeling that you'll be very interested in the next motive that Monokuma has for us. And I'm willing to bet all my libs that you will have a scheme in mind when that happens." Oma looked both puzzled and intrigued at my statement, probably wondering how I could say something like that with such confidence. "When that happens, I want to help you. No strings attached. Sounds like a deal?"

"What do you get out of helping me, though?"

"That's an easy answer. I get to keep everyone - including you - alive. This could stop another killing from happening, without making the game any less interesting. Trust me on this, you will want to know what I mean once everything is revealed."

"How can I be sure you're not pulling my leg, though? Or lying," he leaned back and held the back of his head. I needed to sell this to him in a way that ensured his cooperation.

"I will be indebted to you. Not only that, but it'll make things more interesting. We both get what we want. Deal?"

The Supreme Leader pinched his chin and thought about it. Then he smiled. "I wonder what the others would think when they hear that you're conspiring against them, hmm?"

I froze. He wouldn't, would he? It was important that my cover wouldn't be blown. But then I realized. "You're lying, aren't you? I can put an end to your plans just as well as you can do to mine."

"Plans which I haven't even made," he sneered, not letting me get the advantage.

"You will. I guarantee it." I struck out my hand to him, and he regarded it like a feral animal. Finally, he reached out himself and shook it.

"Very well then, partner! I will be sure to inform you when I have something! But I expect to be let in on your own little schemes."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, please." He almost seemed insulted. "I can tell you know more about what's going on than everyone else - maybe even the mastermind! There's something you're not letting on..." he threatened, and this time I felt genuine fear that I might be cast out just like the mastermind.

Thankfully enough, Oma cackled at seeing my fearful face and patted himself on the back. "Don't worry, I wouldn't just throw my partner under the bus like that! Not after your tempting proposition!"

I nodded and tuned out when people started piling in slowly. I had Oma on my side, even if temporarily and with the more than likely possibility that he might be using me for something else (and you just let him). I needed to take that risk, however. Oma was a better ally than enemy.

 

I looked back up and saw that mostly everyone was present. Oma went to tease Kiibo, Gokuhara and Hoshi were discussing something or other, Momota was checking up on Harukawa and Tenko was gushing over Yumeno and her magic to Yonaga. Saihara and Akamatsu had come in together, talking animatedly. A stark contrast to the atmosphere to the first time this happened. Everyone was cheerful and genuinely happy, despite two people almost dying. I did notice - to no one's surprise - that Shirogane was missing from the group. And so was Iruma, oddly enough. Well, even if she wasn't going to come down to the cafeteria, she should still eat.

I went up to Tojo who was setting the table. "Tojo-san, good morning," I greeted.

She turned around and gave a slight bow-curtsy. "A good morning to you as well."

"I was wondering if it wouldn't be too much trouble if you could perhaps send Shirogane-san some food. She is missing from the group and I doubt she will be joining us any time soon, so I thought that she should at least eat in her room."

Tojo gave a knowing smile and responded: "Akamatsu-san asked me to do the same thing not a long while ago. I have already made preparations for her sake, do not worry."

"Did she now?" I looked at Akamatsu, smiling and giggling with Saihara and Momota. I let myself smile as well. "I see, I see. Thank you, Tojo-san," I turned and bowed at the maid, before excusing myself.

 

I move myself to the back of the room, leaning against the far wall. Everyone had sat down, and Akamatsu took this chance to get everyone's attention.

"Ahem. Good morning everyone, I hope you all slept well..." she started. Her hands were shaking lightly and she was clearly very nervous. "I'd like to thank everyone for their support yesterday. I know I couldn't have done it without you all. Thank you."

Something like murmurs of encouragemnet spread across the students present. She took this as a positive response. "Is everyone present?"

"Amami-kun is still sleeping, will be for a while," explained Harukawa.

"And Iruma-san also seems to be missing..." Yumeno yawned, not from lack of sleep. Just perpetual tiredness.

"And... Shirogane too..." Gokuhara mentioned offhandedly. Everyone sat quietly and looked at him, making the boy wince and hunch his shoulders. Akamatsu was quick to take over.

"I-In any case, I'm sure someone will be able to inform them of what happened. First things first, we need to-"

Oma raised his hand and made sounds like a student knowing the answer to a difficult question during maths.

"Yes, Oma-kun?" Akamatsu asked, friendly smile and polite tone.

"Is this a sort of group meeting?"

"...I guess so?"

Oma's smiled: "Then why are you leading it?"

That took Akamatsu by surprise, she was left speechless. Anxiety took over and she had to put her hands on the table to stop them from shaking.

"Let's not forget, you almost killed Amami-kun, had it not been for the absolute one-in-a-million fluke that Siahara-chan and co created."

"A-Actually, it wasn't me, but-" Saihara began pointing at me but Oma cut him off.

"Point is, Akamatsu-chan, you tried to kill one of us! If you ask me, that sure doesn't make you leader by default." His smile was cheerfully and innocently mocking. Nobody could outright object to his point; it was true. Even if everyone had lived, it didn't make the past any less real (which past).

"Do you propose that you'd make for a better leader?" Shinguji sounded amused when he directed the question at Oma.

The liar beamed. "Of course! My whole Ultimate Talent is about leading; who better for the job?"

"Yeah, no thanks. I wouldn't trust someone like you to lead a row of ducklings," scoffed Momota.

"Hah! With that logic, we might as well ask Shirogane-san to lead!"

Everyone turned stiff. Nobody wanted to say anything to that.

"Well that shut you guys up quick!" Oma laughed hysterically, holding onto his stomach. He immediately stopped and turned serious. "Well, whatever, your funeral. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself having to dodge another shot put to the head."

"...with that out of the way," Akamatsu took control of the conversation again. "Is there anything else that needs discussing?"

I looked around and coughed, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. If nobody else was going to, I might as well. "I'll check on Shirogane-san later and see if i can find out anything from her. Or maybe not, who knows..."

The class nodded and moved on from the topic as fast as possible.

Akamatsu nodded at me. "Thank you. Now then-"

" _Rise and shine, Ursine!_ "

The synced chime of the Monokubs alerted everyone to their arrival.

"Good morning everyone, I hope you all slept well!" Monophanie parroted Akamatsu's words with remarkably more confidence.

Monotaro added. "Here I thought you guys would be celebrating all night for getting through that trial unscathed!"

"What punks! Seriously, unbelievable..." Monokid scoffed.

"What do you want?" Akamatsu's voice was more tired than angry.

"EVERYONE-SURVIVED-THE-TRIAL, EVERYONE-DESERVES-A-PRIZE!" Monodam's voice was heard for the second time ever. At least in this timeline.

"What sort of prize?" Hoshi asked suspiciously.

"Weeeell... we don't really know ourselves," Monotaro explained, laying down four distinctly random items. A weird crank, a passport, some sort of weird ocarina, and by far the most normal thing there, a red ball.

"Father was supposed to give these things out, so we don't really know where they go..." Monophanie turned her foot in place.

"And why isn't he, then?" asked Tenko, making a face with pursed lips.

"Eh, he's been feeling off ever since y'all up and decided to  _not_ kill anyone," Monosuke pushed up his glasses and they shone in the light. "Not miserable, mind you, just... off."

"Yeah, we're really worried," Monophanie nodded, concern lacing her voice. The students shared a look of confusion. Monokuma was feeling off? What's next; he's going to take a vacation?

"Anyways, go and try these out at places. They're supposed to unlock some cool stuff, so hop to it!" Monotaro said, and the siblings all gathered close.

" _So long! Bear well!_ " they sang again and dissappeared in a cloud of smoke from one of Monotaro's ninja bombs.

"These are very odd items," Kiibo noted, picking up the ocarina. "Maybe they're wirelessly connected to something?"

"No other choice but to find out," Hoshi picked up the red ball, probably subconsciously.

* * *

Akamatsu had taken the crank, expecting to go looking alone, as everyone else had already formed groups. However, Saihara and Momota quickly joined her. She smiled at them and gave a silent thanks.

They eventually found where the item fit, and unlocked a casino, along with another, red colored building that everyone chose to ignore for the time being.

"Why would a school need a casino?" Momota asked, looking at the slot machines. The one armed bandits stared back with blinking lights.

"I think we're well past the point where we can consider this place  _only_ a school," Akamatsu lamented.

Saihara had left his cap at his dorm, deciding some fresh air through his hair wouldn't do him any harm. Or maybe it was because Akamatsu had called his appearance cute without it; either or. "While it certainly holds the required facilities of a school, it looks like it was meant for more. We can safely assume that this place was made with the intended purpose of holding a set number of students, but was it for the killing game or something else?"

The detective wondered, looking around the corner. He smiled, seeing a golden piano. "Akamatsu-san, I think you'll want to see this."

The pianist raised an eyebrow and went to where Saihara was, gushing and squealing when seeing the instrument of her talent. "Oh my god!"

It was gilded gold, fabulous and incredibly expensive. It only affirmed that whoever made this place didn't want to spare any fortune they had for the residents' comfort.

"Looks like you'll be able to put on a show!" Momota cheered, running his hand across the top of the instrument.

"Hm... that's not a bad idea. I could play for everyone... and maybe even lift some spirits while we're at it!"

"Sounds good to me," Saihara voiced, smiling at her energy. Akamatsu was thankful for the two boys joining her. Even after she had misjudged the situation and done something unforgivable, they had still forgiven her. Even if they were stuck here, she was glad that at least she had friends to make everything less awful.

* * *

"Figured I'd be seeing this again," Hoshi picked up a steel ball, shining in the light of his research lab's lamp. He sighed and put it back below the rest of the normal tennis balls. He and three others had taken the red ball and found a couple of new research labs. He wondered if they would unlock everyone's labs by the end of the game. And what price they would have to pay for that. He shook his head and moved out of the room.

He walked forward and found a wooden door that looked out of place next to the concrete gray walls. Opening it, he saw Gokuhara and Tojo talking. Apparently, this was the Ultimate Maid's lab.

"With these, I will finally be able to take care of everyone's clothing. Even if we have spare uniforms supplied to us by Monokuma, we can live much more comfortably now." Tojo was already setting up the machines and looking them over. Her lab came with both washing machines and cleaning supplies. Everything was at her doorstep, literally.

Gokuhara looked as elevated as Tojo felt. "That's very nice, Tojo-san! Now we both can take care of our hobbies!"

"Oh? How do you mean that?"

"Gonta found research lab! Filled with bugs!" He spread his arms indicatively. "No idea how long they been there. But Gonta can now take care of them!"

"I see. That's very good for you, Gokuhara-kun," while her tone was neutral and not very telling, but it was clear that she felt at least a bit happy for the entomologist.

"So I'm not the only one? Found a tennis court not far away as my lab," Hoshi entered the conversation, glancing at the weird dolls sitting behind the table. They looked eerily lifelike, especially the woman. He assured himself that it was merely for show and to try on clothes or something. Definitely nothing weird.

"I think that's all the labs for now, though. Anyone seen Harukawa?" Hoshi asked, noticing that the Ultimate Child Caregiver was missing.

Tojo thought for a moment and then answered: "I believe she was heading for the other side of the floor, last I saw her. She probably found her own lab."

"Should we check on her?" Gokuhara asked, concerned.

Hoshi shook his head. "Nah, I'm sure she's fine. If she can take care of kids, I'm sure she can take care of herself. Although I do wonder now what sort of things her lab has..."

"My interest has also been piqued," added Tojo. "But merely for professional reasons. Perhaps she has something useful I could borrow."

* * *

"Woah, this place is huuuge!" Chabashira exclaimed, walking into the pool area. It was rather large, with a ramp high above the pool.

"Though I don't think we can swim all that much..." Yumeno cocked her head, looking down. She had found that the water itself was so low that you'd probably just break all of your bones if you were to jump. No class trial for that person.

"This is completely fine! Angie knows many exercises that include water, so we can still have fun!"

The sleepy magician liked that idea. "We could have like a pool party."

"But we'd have to make it girls only. Tenko doesn't trust the menaces not to peek..." She directed her glare to the fourth person in the room.

Shinguji raised his arms up in defense and the light chuckle he gave made Chabashira's skin crawl in a very nasty way. "Believe me, my intentions are pure."

The aikido master was unimpressed to say the least. She turned back to the girls.

"The rules say that we can't enter the pool at nighttime..."

Yonaga looked more than disappointed. "Aw... I was hoping for some midnight mediation. It's the best time to hear Atua's words of comfort and guidance, after all!"

"Is that true?" asked Shinguji.

The artist nodded her head. "Yup! Especially if it's a very star-filled night! His words will echo through the sky and into your ear! The reason why people don't usually hear them is because they're sleeping."

"And what does Atua do, exactly?"

"Atua's will cannot be always understood fully and in detail by everyone, but he wants everyone to be happy! He is the protector and savior of everyone, and I am his messenger!"

Shinguji drummed his fingers against the the back of his other hand behind his back, thinking to himself about her words.  _She believes in her words to a terrifying degree, but there's little to back them up._

"In fact, it's thank to his guidance that nobody has died yet!" the artist cheered.

Yumeno cocked her head and put a finger to her chin. "Really?"

"Uh-huh! It's his guidance that led Shuichi and the rest to stopping Tsumugi from killing Rantaro! It wasn't pure luck or accident, but Atua's will!" she spread her arms up high, showering everyone with her golden presence. The three others looked at each other and disguised their responses.

"What does Atua say about the dead?" Shinguji waited anxiously for her response. He had studied many different religions, and while that of Yonaga's god was less known in general, he had gathered her response would be similar to most others.

Yonaga took a moment to think about it before responding. "When people die, they become one with Atua! He takes them into his soft and delicate arms, bringing them to paradise, protecting them from evil spirits!"

The boy nodded, his hypothesis confirmed. "And can he bring  _back_ the dead?"

That Yonaga wasn't expecting. She was about to say something but stopped herself. "Huh. Angie didn't really think of that before. Angie hasn't heard of Atua bringing people back before, ever..."

Shunguji couldn't help the disappointment show.

"B-But if an appropriate sacrifice would be made, I'm sure he would be able to bring someone back!"

The masked boy nodded again, standing straight. "I see. Thank you, Yonaga-san." He walked towards the other side of the pool, sitting down on one of the pool chairs.

The three girls turned back to exploring the area, finding a locker room that linked to the gym, and looking through the rules more thoroughly.

As Kiibo came in to call for Yumeno, Shinguji looked at the girls from below his cap.

_They will do nicely._

* * *

"So what'd you call me for again?" Yumeno was trying to keep up with Kiibo, the robot being very excited to show her something, calling her away from the pool.

"I believe we found your research lab, Yumeno-san. I'm certain it will be to your liking!" he explained, piratically beaming. The girl simply nodded, wondering if she could finally start on those incantations she had yet to practice.

They finally reached the door with a strawberry inside of a star surrounded a circle. The design would've been simple and cheery had it not been for the weird symbols and other... objects of questionable origin marked on the door. Kiibo had already searched through his database, coming up with nothing. He hoped he could get an explanation. Before he could voice his query, Yumeno had already walked in.

"Hmm. This is all stuff for tricks. This isn't real magic," the Ultimate Magician was severely disappointed. Kiibo's antenna went down. He had hoped it would provide the little magician some elevation or joy, seeing a room catered specifically for her talent. He had been wrong. Yumeno saw the robot's reaction and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Is this an actual guillotine?!" Oma gushed from the corner of the room. He was looking at a small, wooden contraption of decapitation, surprised it could even fit in here.

"The kind of magic you make with this is not the type you walk away from, that's for sure!" Iruma drily commented. "Bet I could make it ten times better, though!" She puffed out her chest and smirked with pride.

"Ten times deadlier, more like. Are you  _trying_ to make us suspect you?" It was the Supreme Leader's turn to sound unimpressed.

"Watch is, squirt! This fits your size perfectly!" the Inventor snapped.

Oma's eyes started getting watery. "S-Squirt?! A-AGAIN?!" He cried, but seeing that nobody was looking his way, he stopped. "You know what you  _should_ do, though?"

"Enlighten me."

"Give Kii-boy a di-"

The robot was quick to cut him off. "S-Stop that! Oma-kun, I've already told you many times, that's not doa-"

"I could do it," Iruma answered. Both boys looked at her, one with excitement and the other with worry. "I mean, it'd take some time and it'd probably be fucking painful, but I could theoretically do it. Just have to paralyze his legs for a while and go rummaging through his junk, but this is me we're talking about!" Nevermind worry, try fear.

"Really?! You can do that?!" Oma was unnecessarily overjoyed to hear that, much to Kiibo's dismay.

"Does anyone care what I have to say about this?!" he tried to protest, but the other two were already talking up a storm. He let his finger fall in defeat and slumped. He felt something poke his arm and looked at Yumeno, who was gesturing at the door.

"Those two look like they won't leave for a while, so I think now's the time to disappear," she said simply. Kiibo lit up and nodded gratefully, making his escape with Yumeno from the two deviants.

* * *

Saihara looked around the wall, sliding his hands across the surface. Chabashira, Akamatsu and Momota were standing behind him. Momota was let in by the hesitant Chabashira after Akamatsu was able to convince her. She didn't mind Momota as much as some of the other guys, but she didn't quite trust him either. And while Akamatsu was a girl, Chabashira wasn't sure if she could fully trust her either, after everything. She felt conflicted, but shrugged it off to concentrate on Saihara.

"Have you found anything?" the pianist asked.

Saihara shook his head. "No, not ye- what's this?" He knocked on the wall of the utilities closet, finding the sound strange. He pushed and stumbled around until he finally touched something that made the wall move.

"Woah, nice going, Shuichi!" Momota gave a thumbs up. The group moved in and walked through the wall, finding a narrow cave. Going along the pathway, they found the way ahead blocked. In front of the debris and rubble was a sign with a cartoonish version of Monokuma holding out a palm in a 'stop' like manor with the text " _Careful where you step! No passage allowed for non-personell!_ " Guess he wasn't here to give them a greeting himself.

"So much for that," Momota sighed, trying to push the rocks away. They were glued stuck, unwilling to budge.

"Guess Monokuma was onto us after the trial," Saihara deduced solemnly.

"We know that there's more than one entrance in the academy; there's bound to be another way in!" Akamatsu said, determined. She wasn't about to let herself get down, lest she make another terrible mistake out of desperation.

"But it's going to be nearly impossible to find them. I mean, we barely managed to guess that there was one here. Where are we going to find the other ones?" Momota tapped his foot against the ground.

"I tried asking Shirogane-san," I voiced, appearing behind the group. "But no dice."

"Woah!" Chabashira jumped, getting into a stance and hurling a fist at me. It was aimed at my gut and I was barely able to dodge it. Holding the place of impact, I looked up to her and held the other hand up in surrender.

"Easy, easy! Ally!"

She still looked shook, but the brown haired girl finally stood down, still a little shaken. "Tenko apologizes, but she was surprised."

"No, no, it's fine. I should've announced my arrival better."

"Were you able to talk to Shirogane-san?" the blonde asked me.

"Talked is a generous word. It was a very one-sided conversation from behind her door."

"So you didn't get anything important?"

"Nothing important to us, no," I replied. I could've told them what really happened, or just even a little bit of the truth and claim it as Shirogane's words, but that'd be too risky. "Sorry I couldn't get anything else."

"It's fine, you did your best," Saihara assured.

"Guess that's it for this adventure," Akamatsu sighed and they started moving back towards the girls' bathroom.

"Hey, Shuichi, wanna come with me afterwards?" Momota asked the detective.

"What for?"

"Well, I was planning on doing a little bit of exercising, so I thought that having someone join me would be great!"

"...I guess a little light exercise wouldn't do me any harm. Haven't really been able to do much of that since coming here."

"Oh, can I join as well?" Akamatsu piped in.

"Sure, sure! The more the merrier! How about you, Chabashira? You wanna join us?"

"...I'm good," was her curt reply. Having to explore in the cave with them was probably enough for her for one day. I looked at the trio leave and then back at the collapsed ruins, thinking on my conversation with Shirogane.

After everyone had left with their items, I went to the dorms. Arriving there, I found a most peculiar sight. Iruma was... wiggling around in front of one of the dorm rooms. An eyebrow perked up at her weird and unconventional display. She seemed to be setting something up, but I couldn't quite tell what. I coughed and she whipped around.

"Oh, it's you." I took that as warmly as possible.

"Good morning, Iruma. Pray tell, what might you be doing?"

"I'm glad you asked!" She looked absolutely thrilled. "I decided to take some inspiration from Bakamatsu and Shyhara and took one of my babies and set it up in front of Bitchsmumgi's door. This way we can monitor her! Aren't I a genius?" She stuck up her nose and grinned widely, pleased with herself.

"Terribly clever," I deadpanned. "How's it work?"

"Same as before; if the camera detects motion, it'll take a snap! I installed a feature in the camera where only the people who know the passcode can access it's features, so we don't have to worry about her tampering with it. If there's constant motion, it will only take a picture every 10 seconds or so. An improvement on the earlier model for sure!"

"I don't doubt it. By the by, you might want to hurry up. The others are exploring the campus with some newfound items that are supposed to open up new areas. Maybe you'll finally get your research lab as well," I offered, checking the contraption she had put up. It was on the wall, covered behind the wallpaper, hidden from sight if you were to walk in front of it but clearly visible to someone looking for it.

"Really? Ho, shit, why didn't anyone tell me?!" Iruma cursed, feeling left out. I smiled at her.

"If we told you, then you wouldn't have been able to put this up, right? This will be very useful in the days to come, I'm certain. Thank you, Iruma-san." I bowed and thanked her genuinely. It did feel wrong to spy on Shirogane, but it was the least revenge we could have on her without being evil. Iruma looked taken back for a moment, before going back to her usual self.

"Yeah, yeah, I already know all that! Seesh, talk about a sucker..." she left, mumbling things about how great she was and that everyone knew that, right?, how could they possibly not, it was obvious.

I watched her go and my smile fell. I turned to the door and knocked on it, leaving a picture on the camera.

"Shirogane-san?" There was no answer. I wasn't sure if she was even listening.

"It's me. I'm alone. I wanted to talk to you."

Nothing.

"I'm not here to judge or scrutinize, if that's what you're wondering. My visit is purely out of curiosity."

Still, nothing. I had to change my tactic.

"...what if I told everyone that none of this is real? That we're in a reality TV show?"

That got a response. The door flew open, Shirogane's angry form staring back at me.

"How do you know about that?"

"Good afternoon to you too, Shiro-"

"Cut the crap and answer the question!" This was a stark contrast to her usual self. Not really like her mastermind personality either, though. Curious.

"I know quite a lot, Junko Enoshima the 53rd," I told her overdramatically.

"H-How... Are you with Team Danganronpa?"

I chuckled. "Hah! Hardly."

"I don't know you..." I quirked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean you don't know me?"

"Unlike the others, my memories weren't erased," she said. I probably imagined the hint of guilt I heard in her voice. "You're not part of the plan. Or weren't, in any case."

I started. "I wasn't part of the plan?"

"There were supposed to be sixteen students, along with me," she said, matter of factly.

"But... we're sevente-"

" _If_ we count you, yes. But we won't," she seemed to realize something, because her demeanor changed. She smiled wickedly, suddenly looking a lot more like the Ultimate Fashionista she was supposed to be. "You have no idea who or what you are, don't you? You have no idea what's even going on, and that's even taking into consideration how ignorant the others are!"

I backed away. "I fail to see how that has anything to do with-"

She started laughing. Her cackling was unnatural and inhuman, filled with much more malice and glee than I had expected.

"Aw, man! This is too good! So that's how they'll balance it out..." her words made no sense.

"Where are the other secret entrances?" I forced out, returning to topic.

What looked back wasn't Tsumugi Shirogane. Wherever the Ultimate Cosplayer was, she wasn't in front of me right now. Right now, I was staring down Junko Enoshima the 53rd.

"Oh, poor little you. You are so helplessly ignorant to your own situation! I see now why Monokuma left me in the dirt!" she cackled. "But if you want info, I've got nothing for you. Nothing that should interest your  _personal_ queries, anyways. And I don't plan on helping your 'classmates' either."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "I get what you're doing. You're saving everyone from dying. Good for you, buddy, and while I would wish you the best of luck, that's not your only struggle, is it? You want answers from me that have nothing to do with the others. But I don't have 'em."

I didn't admit that my palms were sweaty, nor that my knees were slightly quivering. My muscles jerked, and I tried to cover it up with a grin. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't?" Mocking shock, she put a hand to her heart. "If that's so, then you can easily prove me wrong, no?"

"..."

"Tell me your name."

"What?"

"You heard me. Tell me your name. Something easy like that, and it will break all points. Or, if not your name, your talent. Simple, right?"

"You're seriously putting all your chips on that?"

She smirked at me, and I suddenly knew that Oma wasn't even close to being the scariest person in the school. "Why don't we find out?"

I opened my mouth, trying to formulate words. My name, my talent, anything.

I couldn't.

Enoshima smirked and put a hand to her hips. "Hah! See? What'd I say? That hopeless expression of yours, completely clueless and helple-"

"Observer."

She stopped herself and looked at me, cocking her head in a sickly sweet manner, rapidly blinking her eyes. "Run that by me again?"

I straightened up and smirked at her. I had finally gotten my legs back under control and could stand, hiding my wet hands in my pockets. "Ultimate Observer. That's my talent. I observe things, and then take the appropriate action against them."

She looked at me, still saying nothing. She stared me up and down, looking for any tells. I didn't give her any. Finally, she shrugged. "If that's what will help you sleep at night, then go ahead and call yourself that." She turned around and was about to close the door before turning back to me once more. "But you know what they say; the bigger the lie, the harder it will fall apart!"

"Hey, you coming?" I heard someone call for me from the restroom.

"Yeah, yeah," I murmured, dragging my feet towards the entrance. "Don't worry about me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a bit longer to write, sorry about that. The ending part is greatly tied to what this alternate way of "killing game" is about, along with some details of the nameless protagonist. I hope it was worth the wait! Next chapter will be a sort of free-time-event type deal, before the conflict starts again.  
> Please review if you're feeling up to it! It helps me out a lot to know what you guys think!  
> Have a wonderful day!


	5. Reassembly

The students had arrived back at the hall after their rounds of investigations.

"Alright, I guess I shall start with what my group found," Akamatsu declared. "We found two new buildings. One of them was a luxury casino, of all things. It had everything from working machines to inside decoration and even a golden piano."

"A casino?" Hoshi snorted, "That's a rather odd thing for a school to have."

Saihara nodded. "We thought the same thing."

"Guess whoever built this place wants to have us live like royalty," Momota shrugged.

Iruma scoffed "Like imprisoned royalty."

"And what was the other building?" asked Kiibo. None of the three wanted to answer that question. Saihara took it upon himself to answer the robot boy.

"Something even weirder than a casino, that's for sure..."

Yonaga perked up, curious. "Hmm? And what would that be? Is it a temple?"

"A store?" Tojo was mostly joking. Mostly.

"An aquarium?" Yumeno tried.

"A love hotel."

The room went silent so suddenly it was like something had hit the atmosphere and broken all sound. Now they understood why nobody had wanted to admit that. Only Kiibo looked confused, but decided not to voice his question, seeing that nobody looked like they wanted to answer his philosophical question of 'What  _is_  a Love Hotel?'

"Gokuhara-kun, Hoshi-kun and I found our research labs," Tojo took over the thread of conversation, ever faithfully serving. Harukawa didn't say anything, thought she did spy Oma's curious look.

"Gonta find many bug friends! Was wondering where they'd been!" Everyone decided to ignored him with a smile, content with not letting their true taste in bugs show.

"Hearing about the stuff you guys found," Hoshi smirked. "Makes me ashamed to admit I thought that my inside tennis court was the biggest deal of the day."

Tojo nodded contently. "I am also glad to announce I am now able to take care of everyone's laundry."

Chabashira's forehead creased. "Definitely separating the women's stuff from the men's, right?" It wasn't a question.

"If you so wish."

Korekiyo took this as his cue. "Us, then. We found a pool. It's not that terribly interesting, but what should be of note are a few things: Firstly, the water inside of it is rather low, so I wouldn't recommend swimming in it. Secondly, the rules prohibit swimming during nighttime, though I doubt this will be a hindrance. Lastly, we found a connection between the pool and the gym through a window. Another window led to a room up above. I believe it leads to Hoshi-kun's lab?"

"Yeah, sounds about right..." the tennis pro hummed.

Momota was very disappointed. "Aw, man, that sucks. Shuichi and I were hoping to do some rounds."

"I never knew of this plan," the detective sweatdropped.

"As for us, me and the two other squirts found the Little Red Magician's lab," Iruma yawned. "Some stuff was there, nothing too important. My lab is filled with much more 'magic' than the shit we found in hers." This received a glare from the magician herself and Chabashira, to no one's surprise.

With everyone else's discoveries out of the way, Saihara spoke up. "There's something else. We found the hidden passageway that connects the girls' bathroom to the mastermind's lair."

"Oh, nice going Saihara-chan! What'd you find?" Oma asked, giddy.

"Nothing, sadly. It was blocked off. Monokuma wasted no time to cover up his tracks."

Harukawa sighed. "Then there goes that trail..."

Hoshi nodded. "So we're back to square one?"

"Not entirely!" Akamatsu tried to save the mood. "We've made Monokuma scared. He didn't appear when we were given the items to unlock the new rooms and passages, so we know what happened affected him enough to cause distress! Not only that, nobody has died yet, putting a clear stop to his plans."

The statement helped slightly, even if things were looking a little bleak currently. Everyone was still together, they had defeated Monokuma already. It was without a doubt that they could keep another murder from happening if they worked together.

I listened to the conversation, checking everything that was said off of my mental list. One thing was missing, though. "I have a question for Gokuhara-kun. Did you find anything weird when finding your lab?"

The boy scratched his head, thinking hardly. "Not really, everything seemed normal."

"Anything in front of the lab, maybe?"

"Gonta did not see anything."

"I see. Iruma-san?"

"Eh? Me? If you're gonna ask, then I didn't see shit either. The fuck are you on about anyways?"

"Just a thought, don't mind me," I chuckled carelessly, thinking darkly to myself. Monokuma was cheeky. He had blocked off the passage to the lair and taken the Flashback Light. Something was up.

"As I was saying," Akamatsu concluded. "We can get through this, there's not that much left-"

"Awww, that's cute. You think I'm done with you fucks?"

Nobody flinched when Monokuma appeared, causing the bear some mild annoyance. "You could at least  _act_  shocked!"

"Oh no," Harukawa monotoned. "Monokuma, you startled me."

Monokuma waved his hands in exasperation. "Whatever. I came to bless you with my presence, since I'm sure y'all missed me in the morning!"

"Why weren't you there? Don't get me wrong, I'm not concerned, just wonderin'," Oma walked up to the bear.

"If you  _must_  know, I was pondering about what to do now that you guys have foiled my plans," the bear confessed. "I applaud you on keeping things lively around here, gives a breath fresh air instead of the usual imminent dread that wells up the day after the first trial."

"'Usual imminent dread'? What's that supposed to mean?" Iruma questioned. "What's so 'usual' about this shit?"

"Eeeeh, I could tell you, but that'd be spoiling things."

 "Spoil? You're still treating this as if it's just a game!" Akamatsu yelled, fed up with the bear's attitude.

"But it is, Akamatsu-chan! It's literally a game, in more ways than you could possibly understand right now. But I'm not the only one you could ask about all that!"

"Who else is there?" Gokuhara asked.

"Well, duh, the mastermind! Errr, former mastermind, now."

None of the students were brave or foolish enough to try that. Even at the possibility of getting some clues as to their location or a way out, asking Shirogane was just... no.

"Wow, you guys are so easy to play, no wonder she had you wrapped around her finger since day one. I almost pity you sorry bastards. But, if you're not comfortable with her, there's someone else here who knows more than the rest..." I thought I saw him looking at me, but shrugged it off as a coincidence.

"There's another mastermind?" Tojo held a hand in front of her mouth, bangs casting a shadow over her face. Similar reactions spread through the crowd. Akamatsu held onto the fabric of her skirt, Saihara tried pulling on his imaginary cap, Momota shook his fist.

"I'm  _obviosuly_  talking about Amami-kun! If he wakes up, that is. And as if having one idiot in the middle of the crossfire where they could get killed at any time wasn't enough. That's just poor planning! We always have a backup for these kinds of things."

"You're talking as if there are more of you... and what do you mean by 'idiot'?" Chabashira would have taken the bear by the collar and shaken him silly, if it had one.

"Upupupu! So many questions, honestly, I don't think I can keep up! But since your whole survival thing you've got going on is endearing, I'm willing to play ball for a bit. This is a new situation, after all, so I might as well enjoy it! In short, Four-Eyes was... a very special player who was being played in turn."

Something went through Akamatsu's head the moment Monokuma said that. "So Shirogane-san was a puppet for you?"

"Eeeh, I guess? Such an ugly word. I'd say... willing until unwilling."

"But why did she do what she did?" Akamatsu asked. She didn't want to give up on Shirogane, and this proved that there was something that the others were misunderstanding about her.

"Well, why not? Masterminding this shit is a true honor! Having such a position, she  _couldn't refuse._ " Something about his tone made Akamatsu think there was a very dark underlining to this. "She did magnificent work with the motives as well, even if she didn't make them."

"She worked with the motives?" Yumeno wasn't tired anymore. She also wanted to believe in Shirogane, and this thinking slowly spread through their numbers. Was Shirogane some evil villain, or a misunderstood puppet of something far worse?

"Yuppers! This next one is one of her favorites, actually! Want to know more? Ask her about it, before it's too late! Or the 'amnesiac avocado' once he comes around," Monokuma snickered behind his paw. He was absolutely beside himself.

"The next motive? Seriously, again? I thought we already foiled your plans!" Momota was outraged, as everyone else.

"You did foil  _some_  of my plans, but I've got loads more, believe you me! A bear never lies!" Monokuma wiggles in place, very happy that things were back in order as they should be. "Until then, you guys can play make believe, but don't lose yourselves in Neverland now! I want to see some more trials!" He waddled behind a table, away from everyone. Oma followed, turning the table over, Monokuma nowhere in sight.

"That bear walks around like a cat," Momota commented, shaking his head. 

"It seems that he isn't very ready to give up," Shinguji rubbed his chin. "But what he said about Shirogane-san has made me curious. There is more to this than it might seem. The mystery continues..."

Nobody argued against that. Akamatsu had never felt so determined before. There was hope after all! They could ask Shirogane about the motives, about what had happened beforehand, and how to get out!

"We should go ask Shirogane about what Monokuma was saying-"

Despite her enthusiasm, nobody seemed to share it.

"I already tried talking to her," I responded. "She didn't seem very... appreciative of the gesture. I don't think there's much point in it."

"I see..." Akamatsu deflated.

"I'm sure we can just talk to her later, let things blow off," Saihara said. "Maybe she will be more willing to talk to us after some time." This seemed to motive Akamatsu a bit, but she was still disappointed that they would have to push it forward.

"I guess that's all then for now. Meeting's over," Akamatsu declared, and the students piled out of the room. Tomorrow, a new motive would be announced. It was the time to enjoy oneself as much as possible before the storm.

Harukawa was one of the few that lagged behind the others. She went up to us and said: "I'm going to my lab, but you should know that Amami might wake up soon. I don't know in what condition he will be in, but it would be useful if you get something out of him." She left before any of us could thank her.

"Guess we should check on him," Saihara walked to the door and waits for us to join him. I shrugged, and waited anxiously what he would be revealing.

* * *

 

We arrived in front of Harukawa's door. All three of us, Akamatsu, Saihara and myself, stood awkwardly in front of it. Low-key intimidated by the air that Harukawa gave off, none of us really dared to open the door. I nudged Saihara, and after looking both me and Akamatsu in the eyes, he slowly opened the door, way too dramatically. We pile in, and see a figure sitting in Harukawa's bed. They turned around, and Amami's 'o' shaped mouth turns into a smile.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted, waving his hand.

"Amami-kun!" Akamatsu is the first to yell out, walking to the bed. A mix of anxiety and relief well up with stress, and she clumsily moves around, not sure what to do with herself. Seeing Amami alive and well - even if his head was covered in bandages - gave the pianist peace of mind in an otherwise stressful state.

"It's good to see you well, Amamki-kun," much more reserved than his female counterpart, Saihara smiled at the boy.

"It's good to finally see someone! I thought Harukawa left me here all alone or something!" the mystery boy chuckled.

"You couldn't leave?" the detective asked.

"According to Harukawa, I shouldn't move around that much. It's a real miracle that I was able to walk off the attack and regain consciousness, even with the little memory loss I have."

Akamatsu went pale. "M-Memory loss?"

Amami nodded, though he didn't seem all that bothered by it. "I'm afraid I remember little about what's happened the past few days. I don't even know anything about my attack!" he laughed, shrugging.

Akamatsu stayed silent, looking down. Saihara put a hand to her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. Looking at him, she smiled and squeezed back and removed the hand. "Amami-kun, there's something I need to tell you..."

 

Amami stayed silent throughout the explanation, only nodding or humming when appropriate. Finally, when Akamatsu was done with her explanation, he ran a hand across the back of his head. The blonde pianist was expecting him to be angry at her for almost getting him killed, or launch into question mode, or  _something_. Instead, he was completely calm and neutral, thinkings things over. Finally, he turned to us and smiled, bowing his head.

"I see. Thank you, then."

"'T-Thank you'?" Akamatsu parroted. The survivor laughed at her reaction.

"I mean, I'm happy for what you did. In the end, you managed to save me, stop any killings from happening, and revealed the mastermind. That's already so much more than I could've done, so thank you."

"It's nothing. We were just helping out a friend," Saihara assured, not knowing how to take a compliment.

Amami huffed, and crossed his arms, turning serious. "Though, what Monokuma said... this presents a problem."

The others nodded. "Monokuma doesn't seem to want to let up with the killing game, even if the main brains behind it is gone."

"Not necessarily."

"What do you mean?" Saihara questioned.

Amami scratched his head, and winced, pulling back his hand. "If we're to take what Monokuma said seriously... How should I put this... I get the feeling that Shirogane isn't solely responsible for this."

"But she is the mastermind!" Akamatsu protested.

Amami shook his head. "If anything, she  _was_. And if she was so crucial to the killing game, then why did it not stop? He said that she was 'a player who was being played in turn'. It makes me think that maybe she was meant to be much less of an active behind-the-scenes manipulator than we all thought."

"Are you saying there's someone else who is doing her work?" Saihara followed along.

"Probably. Monokuma is not doing this alone, he does have help. But the inside mole has been revealed, along with being self-exiled from the group. She must've been really desperate to start the killings herself, a gamble that didn't play off. But why?"

"So the killing game could start?"

"That would be ideal," I commented. "but what I think Rantaro means is that she had other reasons to do it." I tapped my foot in thought. "She attacked Amami  _right before_  the time limit would end. If it was her plan to have Amami die first, then why wait that long for it? It would jeopardize her position. And it did."

"Monokuma said that she didn't directly come up with the motives," Saihara supplied. "Could it mean that she didn't know who was going to die?"

"And since nobody took the bait," Akamatsu concluded. "She needed to take matters into her own hands, using my plan and framing me."

My eyes widened slightly, as a thought crossed my mind. "...all before the time limit ran out, killing all of us."

The room fell into silence. The implications could go both ways; either Shirogane wanted the game to start and just picked a very odd method to do so. Maybe she  _wanted_  to have the murder under such odd circumstances, and had planned for Amami to die first. Or she was forced into a last minute decision to keep the time limit from ending the game and killing all of us.

"Either way, we don't know for certain," Amami coughed. "We can only ask her, but it seems she is unwilling to cooperate."

Akamatsu and Saihara nodded their heads, while I mulled it over. It could be that it was a mercy choice, but what were the odds? She was the mastermind, why would her actions be empathetic?

"...we'll leave you for now, Amami-kun." Saihara stood up. "I'll make sure to tell Tojo-san to bring you something to eat later on."

"I hope you feel better soon..." Akamatsu mumbled.

Amami reached out a hand and ruffled some of her hair. "Don't worry, Akamatsu-san. I'm fine, I promise. You'll see, I'll be better in no time! I'll tell you and the others more about what I remember tomorrow, as well as answer any questions you have!" he cheered, giving them a thumbs up. Before we could leave, though, he took a hold of my wrist.

"Could we talk?" Saihara and Akamatsu turned around. "Just the two of us," the bot elaborated and the two others left the room and bid farewell.

Once they were gone, I looked at Amami with a raise eyebrow. "What's up?"

"I wanted to thank you personally. It seems you were the main reason why Shirogane wasn't able to perfect her shot."

I shrugged. "I got lucky."

"Maybe. But they way you suddenly appeared in front of the library, and how you knew of Akamtsu's plan is a little bit... suspicious." His relaxed demeanor shifted slightly to a more colder gaze.

"If you think I'm the mastermind's helper or something, then you're sorely mistaken. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time for events to take a drastic turn, that's all."

He nodded, dropping the subject. I leaned in. "How much do you remember, though?"

He stared up at me, his turn to raise an eyebrow.

"I know a few things," I continued. "As do you. We're both in the know of much more than there might seem, am I wrong, Ultimate Adventurer? Or do you prefer Survivor, that seems a much more fitting title."

"Ah," Amami relaxed a bit, leaning into the pillow that was propped up behind him. "You know me from the other killing game? I can only assume since... well, my pad's been taken away, but that title does come across as familiar."

"Something like that, yeah. I regret to inform you that your Survivor Perks have been nullified, along with your special Monopad. Confiscated, courtesy of the mastermind."

Amami's eyebrows furrowed. "Damn. That's unfortunate."

I nodded in agreement. "Quite. But with the two of us, we should be able to help out a little. You've got the experience and I share some knowledge of the inner workings of this game."

"How so?" His question wasn't as suspicious as it was hesitant. I had learned that revealing too much proved to be a curse rather than a blessing. I needed to choose my words carefully to win Amami to my side.

"I talked with Shirogane. Alone. She shared some details, but not all that much. The rest I just figured out myself from paying attention. I don't want to share what I do know, in fear of giving false information, but I know a few things. Tomorrow's motive is aimed at two people in particular, and a third will be put in a dark spotlight due to it's events. That's all I can be certain of," I told him. He nodded again, letting everything process through. Although his talents weren't directly useful in the current situation, he was by no means a slacker or incapable. Amami was one of the smarter people, and his levelheadedness and open mindedness gave him an edge in this circumstance. I needed that. I just hoped he would assume all my knowledge came from what the mastermind supposedly told me. "Now, turnabout is fair play. What do you know? What do you remember?"

He takes a minute to think. He fiddles with his rings and plays with a stray lock of hair that peeks out from his bandages. "I don't know how much you will believe me," he admitted.

I cracked a smile. "Trust me, I've witness quite a few weird things." Reliving my classmate's death is definitely considered weird, right? Right.

"Well... I remember life before coming here. I have two little sisters." Didn't he have 12 of them? Guess Team Danganronpa really wanted to make things 'interesting'. "I don't really remember it, but I know I participated in a killing game. I remember I attended Hope's Peak before being... kidnapped." He turned away and became slightly embarrassed. "The more I try to remember the other killing game, the more blanks I draw. However, there is something about Shirogane that's familiar. I think she was also in the other killing game." He took a moment to breathe and sighed heavily. It was hard to remember the person who almost killed you in a positive light. "I remember a Ultimate Cosplayer; soft spoken and odd, just like you described her. She didn't really stick out. She was more of a passive observer. That's all I can remember. I hope my memories come back with time."

"Did she say anything?" I asked.

"About the game? Not really. When we were introducing ourselves here, I lied about not knowing my talent, obviously. It's the latest memory I have, actually. Back then, I didn't know where we were, but the video I saw... it reminded me a lot of things. I don't know if I knew what I was getting into at the beginning of this game. A lot of it is blank..." I tried remember Amami's words back then, when Monokuma first told us about the killing game. ' _Kill without being caught, and then survive the trial... Sounds eerily similar to the real world.'_ I hadn't realized back then what he had exactly meant with those words, but now it was starting to make sense.

"I learned about the killings, so I tried to put an end to them."

"So much for your good intentions."

"Yeah, really." He sighed.

"I have two more questions, though. Firstly, do you remember the Ultimate Hunt?"

"...the Ultimate what?" Amami cocked his head. I nodded to myself. Amami remembers only things that  _definitely_  happened before the 53rd season of Danganronpat least that's the impression I got. The number of sisters he has is proof of that, not to mention his hazy memories of the 52nd season. If he doesn't remember the Ultimate Hunt, then it never really happened. That was the conclusion I came to.

"Nevermind. Where are your sisters now?" I asked the second question. This would hopefully prove something once and for all. It would lay the foundation for the rest of my investigation into what's going on outside. And maybe it will even help me figure out what's going on in here.

The green haired boy didn't look like he wanted to answer. Like it was something terrible and unforgivable. Having just seen how easily he forgave attempted murder made me wonder what it could possibly be.

"...I don't know."

I understood. "You were looking for them, right?"

He nodded. "They went missing... I tried looking for them all around the world, but I haven't found a single trace. I've visited Europe, gone to America, searched all through Asia... Nothing. After coming here and nearly dying, I thought I'd never see them again." He swallowed hard and looked up. His eyes were a bit more shiny than before. Having been through what he had, with no knowledge of where your siblings were, your last hope gone. "That's how I became the Ultimate Adventurer."

I took his hand and squeezed. "Well, you get another chance. You survived something that you shouldn't have. There's still hope."

He looked at me in surprise. While most people had told him to give up, I hadn't. He smiled and nodded. "Right. We will survive this ordeal."

"And then we can go find your sisters," I laughed.

Amami ran a hand across his face and regained his composure. "This is so much more complicated that I thought."

"It's a mess, but we need to take care of it. I think Monokuma is onto us, or at least, you. I bet he's prepared for the fact that you remember more than you should. It's an advantage, and we can definitely use it."

"How do we do that?"

"For now," I stood up. "We wait. We wait for the next motive and plan from there. We can tell the others more about what is going on, but for now, we need to plan our moves to not anger Monokuma. Don't worry, I promise to keep everyone safe. We will get out of this together."

He nodded to me, determined as well. "Thank you." I had Amami on my side now. I walked to the door, but before I could leave he called me back once more.

"I... don't quite know how to say this, but... that hit I took scrambled my memories real bad... I'm sorry to say this, but I don't remember your name."

I looked back at the bed. "Huh." I nodded and closed the door as I left.

I reunited with Akamatsu and Saihara who were standing, chatting amicably a little bit further down the hallway. Akamatsu and Saihara were determined to put an end to this as much as Amami and I were. From the talk, I was sure that there was some basis for the Ultimate Talents. Amami was still the Ultimate Survivor, especially after what happened a few days ago. So... were the talents real? He remembers getting his  _before_ joining the killing games. It's a safe assumption. So were these kids really talented or am I missing something?

Akamtsu and Saihara saw me coming and nodded.

The pianist waved. "What did he want to talk about?"

"It was a personal query, you've got nothing to worry about. If I find something, you two would be the first ones to know," I told them.

"Likewise," They said, in unison. Seeing that, they looked at each other and a light blush covered both of their cheeks. I groaned inside.

"We've got the full cooperation of Amami now. He will be able to tell us more in the morning when everyone is eating."

"Then that clears that up. Now all we need is to get Shirogane-san to talk to us," the raven haired boy concluded. "If she wants to talk to us, that is..."

"We'll get to her eventually," I figured. "We can figure things out tomorrow."

Coming to an agreement, we nodded at each other, determined. I walked back to my dorms, hearing one word repeating inside of my head. (liar)

* * *

 

"Hrng..." Saihara was trying hard not to let his arms give up. He pushed himself up with heavy breaths and tired arms.

"Fourty-eight..."

Saihara really started regretting his life decisions.

"Fourty-nine..."

Never had Momota's voice been more irritating for him. He had no idea why he let himself be talked into this. It was stupid and unfortunate that Momota's good charm and positivity had appealed to Saihara.

"Fifty! There ya go, Shuichi, easy peasy!" Momota cheered from beside the detective who let himself fall to the ground with a 'thud'.

"Tenko is surprised. She admits, she didn't think you were able to do it," Chabashira confessed.

"What she means," Akamatsu quickly amended. "Is that you impressed her. And consider me impressed as well!"

"Yeah, I didn't think you had it in you, man! You look like a real couch potato, but I guess we're all hiding something underneath." Saihara really wishes he could crawl into a hole right now.

"Well, at least he did better than Momota," the aikido master commented. Momota twitched and his face darkened, but largely ignored the comment. "Why are you here, again?"

"As if I'd leave Akamatsu alone with two boys!" Chabashira quipped back immediately.

"I asked Tenko to come!" Akamatsu confessed, not wanting for her two friends to start fighting over something so stupid. Saihara thanked Akamatsu for helping him up.

"So, what'd you talk to Rantaro about?" Momota changed the topic.

"He said he'd explain things tomorrow morning. We'll hopefully get some understanding on what's going on and what he knows," Saihara explained.

"We theorized about why Shirogane-san attacked him. On why she attacked at all, to be exact," Akamatsu lamented. Chabashira and Momota tensed. "We've come under the belief that she didn't want the time limit to run down. Whether it was to save us all from death or to not have the killing game end so soon, we don't know."

"I'm sure she had her motives," Momota reassured. "We'll just have to ask her."

"Tenko is not looking forward to it..."

"Whatever the case may be, we might find out something about what's going on. It's crucial we question her as soon as possible," Saihara voiced, ever the objective-focused detective.

"What do you think the next motive is going to be about?" Momota asked.

That was something Akamatsu was not looking forward to herself. "It must be something to get us riled up. The last motive failed, at least in Monokuma's eyes."

"Well, we've knocked him down a few pegs or something, so that counts, right? Whatever it is," Momota slammed his fists together. "We can overcome it as a team, no problem!"

"Leave it to Kaito to give a motivational speech," Saihara remarked sarcastically.

Akamatsu couldn't help but laugh. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go drink something." She removed herself from the group and started walking back towards the dorms. She had left her water bottle that Momota had given her behind, but a quick bathroom break wouldn't hurt her sore muscles either. As she neared the dorms, she noticed a single figure standing all alone in front of the doors, looking at the sky. Akamatsu wondered what someone was doing up in the middle of the night, but seeing as she herself was part of a training group, she couldn't judge. Getting nearer, she barely made out long hair and distinctive curves that would belong to a girl. The way it fell all in one strand behind the back and the unique posture helped the figure stand out more. And Akamatsu knew exactly who it was.

"Good night, Shirogan-san," she greeted, pushing down her hesitation and nervousness. The other girl whipped to her and was both surprised and shocked to see her.

Shirogane stammered a bit before letting out a pathetic "Hi..."

Akamatsu tried to form a smile, and prayed that the lack of light is also obscuring her insecurities. "What are you doing here this late?"

The cosplayer fidgeted around again before answering, "I-I was... I came to s-see the sky. I've been... locked in my room for a while now, so I thought it'd be nice to get some fresh air."

Akamatsu nodded. She would have told her to go out more, but she realized why she shad done so. "Are you going to show up tomorrow for breakfast?"

Shirogane visibly became rigid at that, and Akamatsu cursed her poor wording. "I-If you want to, that is! It's just that you're not really around anymore, and I was wondering if you were... doing alright... Amami-kun woke up!" She suddenly said, a bit too loudly.

Something flashed through Shirogane's eyes. Almost like she became a completely different person for a split second, or delayed the threat of something inside of her bursting out. And it wasn't one of her cosplays. She seemed to have a split-second battle with her emotions, before finally setting on relief. "That's... that's good. I'm glad he's alright." After having to put up with Oma, Akamatsu wanted to believe she could tell when someone wasn't being fully truthful. And Shirogane sure sounded like she was. Akamatsu was filled with courage at that, but reminded herself that the girl had fooled her once before.

"Would you like to join us for training?" It was a long shot, and Akamatsu didn't necessarily mean it.

Shirogane pushed up her glasses and smiled tightly. "I think Momota-kun and Chabashira-san would have a few things to say about that."

The pianist chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah... But I could get them to... tolerate you. I'm sure Saihara-kun would also be okay with having you join us!" Akamatsu desperately tried to warm up to Shirogane. The girl didn't look hostile at all. In fact, she was much more reserved and shy than Akamatsu had expected from the confidant mastermind. Was this all another act, or genuine. That's what Akamatsu was hoping to find out.

Said mastermind, however, sighed and shook her head. "You're way too trusting, Akamatsu-san. This is why I was almost able to frame you for murder." Her words were true and merciless. They cut Akamatsu deep where she had already been cut before, and it still felt uncomfortable. Akamatsu's beliefs and hopes were shattered instantly.

Shirogane noticed what she had just said and saw Akamatsu's reaction. "W-What I mean is that not everyone is worthy of your trust and kind nature," she corrected herself. The blonde looked at the purple haired girl.

"Are you... talking about... someone in particular?" _Like yourself?_

Shirogane turned around and opened the dorms door. "Good night, Akamatsu-san."

Akamatsu nodded. She didn't feel thirsty anymore. She turned back to where the others were working out. Secretly, she was happy. She had gotten to talk to Shirogane. There was little point in hiding, not after having been exposed as the mastermind. It meant that Shirogane was much more like them than she thought. Akamatsu hoped from the bottom of her heart that this was the real Shirogane, and not the mastermind talking. If not... she just got played for a fool again. But despite that, Akamatsu was ready to believe. She was ready to believe in her classmates, even if it was stupid or foolish. She walked back to the others in the sparse moonlight, a spring in her step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know it has been more than two weeks, but the next chapter is already done as you're reading this. Apologies for how long it's taking, but I want to make sure there are no plot holes or anything left in, so writing most of the in-game chapters in one sitting is best so I don't have to retcon anything later on. A lot of planning, writing, rewriting, more planning and then some has been put into how the investigations and story will continue, so that's the reason why it's taking a little longer. Although, knowing me, I wouldn't be surprised if I had to come back and correct something I left out in my stupidity :P
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos and support until now!
> 
> If you couldn't tell, then I'll be focusing on the game and background story quite a bit. It will be secondary to the investigations and trials, but the reason as to why everything is happening is also very important, and you can expect to hear about it a lot more in the future! Amami gave some intel, but there's so much more even he doesn't know!
> 
> Cheers, and please review! See you next time!


	6. Distribution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It says on her profile that Angie likes "avocados".

I stared intently at the device before me. I turned it around, checked it’s back and sides. It was colorful and had the trademark Monokubs flavor all over it. It was the next motive, the videos of the most important person in your life.

“This couldn’t be mine, could it?” Originally, the Monokubs had mixed the videos up, not being able to tell which was whose. The probability that I got mine was extremely small.

With a shaking finger, I touched the pad, and the screen in front of me turned to life.

“Kokichi Oma: The Ultimate Supreme Leader!”

* * *

Tojo was naturally the first one in the cafeteria. She went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. While she hadn't been asked to, she felt compelled to take on the responsibility of food and laundry. Such was her job, after all. Even when Akamatsu had insisted she didn't have to, she just couldn't say no. She was the Ultimate Maid for a reason. With the recent addition of her research lab, she could take care of all the laundry that belonged to the students. She doubted Kiibo had any, but the others were surely dying to get theirs washed and cleaned. Now her days were occupied, as the ideal life of a maid should. It was her duty to serve.

Yumeno was the first to join her, sitting down at the table immediately. Tojo was going to ask her what she wished for breakfast, but the girl laid her head in her arms. Giving a small smile at the sigh, Tojo went back to work.

She admitted to having a few troubles, what with the colorful cast they had there. She needed to mark down and remember everyone’s preferences. Shinguji liked his tea with a little bit of milk, Yumeno was always looking for a snack of any sort, Oma had a sweet tooth, Chabashira and Momota wanted something with protein and Hoshi mentioned needing a stash of his, how the astronaut aptly named them, ‘cigarette candy’. She had worked for large households before, but she had never handled so much as sixteen people at once. Well, that wasn't entirely true, now was it.

It’s not every day you learn you’re the de facto leader of a country. Tojo was conflicted on this point. With the new motive, she had learned of a far more important duty she had, a devotion to her people. She had been appointed a crucial position, she needed to take care she did as was expected of her. She was the first servant of her country, she could not let them down, no matter what. But what to do?

Gokuhara was the second to join her. Offering a greeting and asking if he could help, Tojo would have usually politely declined, but if he were to help her, she would be spared a moment to mull things over. With a grateful smile, she gave him a tower of plates to put on the table.

To get out, she would have to commit murder, get away with it, and thereby condemning the rest of her classmates. Not to mention, the murder would have to be perfect. Some of the students were either too strong or too smart to fall victim. That already crossed off Gokuhara and Chabashira for the former, and Akamatsu, Saihara, Shinguji and Oma for the latter. She gasped slightly and almost dropped the plate she was holding. She gripped to it tightly, almost breaking it anyways in her grip. Was she seriously considering murdering one of her own classmates?

“Tojo-san?” she heard the entomologist say, worry filling his voice. “Are you alright?”

“I am fine, Gokuhara-kun,” she answerd back, trying to force a smile. “I was just merely caught up in the moment. Thank you for your assistance, breakfast will be ready soon.” With a hesitant nod, the boy sat down at the table.

She would have to wait. There was no point in worrying about things right now. She could plan after breakfast. Right now, she had a duty to fulfill.

Shinguji walked in next, sitting down. Tojo offered him a cup of green tea and poured some milk in it. Thanking her, Shinguji looked on as Tojo retreated to the kitchen. Elegant, reserved, kind, polite, dutiful. She fully deserved her title of Ultimate Maid to a degree that wasn't evident from saying it alone. One would just expect someone who always followed you around like a stray dog, but she did her work with grace and valor. She didn't miss a heartbeat when she could be helpful, and she had already picked up on his tea preference quite quickly, without him having to say anything. While she was good at what she did and devoted, how far did her personal loyalty go? She served everyone, but how much of that was her job and how much of that was just pure human compassion? Maybe, he decided.

The anthropologist smelled the tea in his cup as his attention was brought to Chabashira trying to talk to a very sleepy Yumeno. Now those two were an odd pair. The little magician was sleepy and inattentive most of the time, not having a clue what was going on around her. Not dumb necessarily, but not very remarkable either, her ‘magic’ put aside. Chabashira, on the other hand was a completely different story. She was cheerful, energetic, kind and protective. What concerned girls, at least. But that’s all that mattered to Shinguji. For all he cared, Tenko Chabashira was a protector of all things female. And that made her perfect, is his record.

The doors flew open once more when Yonaga swaggered in, all smiles and goofs. Shinguji furrowed his eyebrows. Now this one he did not like. She meant well, and mainly seemed concerned about everyone’s wellbeing. She believed everything she said and did, no matter how odd or even contradictory at times. Her blind belief in ‘Atua’ made her both invulnerable and gullible, in a way. She would do anything for her God, perhaps even murder. But there was something about her. Some sort of perverted malice that underlined her actions and words. Misguidance or deliberate? Her charm was something he needed to observe. He would make sure to keep an eye on her.

Speaking of observations, he was amusedly reminded of the little gift he had received earlier in the morning. The next motive, as Monokuma had promised. He was surprised to find Shirogane's video in his room. While curious, he hadn't watched past the title screen. His apprehension didn't lie in some moral code, but rather in worry that it was some sort of trap. Being exposed didn't mean she couldn't pull a trick on them. Another reason was that this was a motive for murder. Monokuma wanted blood, and if this was guaranteed to get him that, Shinguji was not going to let himself be a part of something dangerous before he could complete his mission. The others received similar videos, no doubt. He should wait and see what the others do with them and then decide. He could wait. Shinguji knew the value of patience. He was no stranger to waiting for his prey to turn over and kneel.

Kiibo burst through the door, looking at the sprinkle of students that occupied the cafeteria. He looked to where the three girls were sitting, Chabashira conversing with Yumeno – the aikido master was talking while the shorter girl mostly nodded along – and Yonaga butting in everyone now and again, much to Chabashira's displeasure. The robot boy thought about interrupting, but thought better of it and decided to just sit down and make smalltalk with Gokuhara over bugs.

Little by little, people started coming in. Saihara and Akamatsu walked in together, but surprisingly, Akamatsu went to talk to Iruma, who was eavesdropping on Kiibo and Gokuhara's conversation. Saihara looked a little lost, but made his way to an approaching Momota, bringing with him a complaining 'Harumaki'.

* * *

 Me and Amami were on our way to the cafeteria. Harukawa had given the all clear for Amami to attend the morning meetings that everyone seemed to be doing now, so it didn't feel right to leave him out.

“So what do I tell them?” Amami looked at me. He was obviously referring to what he was going to explain and what he was going to leave out.

I considered it, before answering: “Tell them truth. Tell them about your talents, your sisters and then what you remember from before the game, along with what you saw in your Monopad.” I explained. We hadn't found any Flashabck Lights, which meant Monokuma wasn't bothering with them anymore. That meant he was expecting Amami and Shirogane to reveal things about the outside world. But at the same time, how much was safe to reveal in the first place? We could just tell them about the gameshow and that everything was fake. That we were being broadcasted by little insect Monokumas to the whole world. But what would be the consequence? Another rewind, this time from the beginning? Would the game end and what was it? I doubted it would be that easy. We needed to be careful on what we say. We didn't have Shirogane to hold Monokuma back anymore, we were on our own.

“If we reveal too much, Monokuma might try something. Something that will get us all killed,” I explained. “You need to choose your words carefully.”

“No pressure, right?” It was meant sarcastically, but Amami shrugged nonchalantly like it was nothing.

 

 

We walked in, and Amami received more than a few warm greetings, everyone was happy to see him up and about again.

"Aaah! Angie is so happy to see you again, Rantaro! God told Angie that you'd be alright!"

Yumeno looked at the artist weirdly. "God told you?"

"Yes! After all, it's thanks to Atua that Rantaro is alive right now! He was the one who prevented Rantaro's murder!"

Yonaga's ramblings went mostly ignored, save for Yumeno's gawking and Gokuhara's amazement.

Once everyone was there – sans Shirogane – Akamatsu stood up and addressed everyone. “Good morning. I will cut things short today. First of all, as I'm sure you've noticed, Amami-kun has recovered. He is feeling better now and can attend any future morning meetings. He has a few things he can share with us, so I'll let him do the talking before we address… the new motive.”

It was Amami's turn as he stood up and saw everyone's eyes on him. “Uh, hey…” he started, shuffling awkwardly. “Long time no see, huh? The others have filled me in on what happened. I want to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication. It's only because you stood together than no one has died yet!” Everyone had been a bit abrasive concerning him, but seeing him so full of life even after nearly dying made the others feel hopeful as well. He definitely had charisma, if nothing else. Ultimate Smoothtalker. “As such, I owe you all some explaining.”

Everyone looked at him, expectant. “First of… I'm sure you’re all wondering about my talent. My memories from before the game are a lot clearer now, so I can answer you that much. My talent is Ultimate Adventurer. Before coming here, I traveled around the world. There's barely a place I haven't visited yet,” he laughed. “So if you're planning a trip somewhere, I'm your guru.”

“So, you remember who you are now?” Momota asked cheerily.

“Taro-chan!” Oma cried, running to hug Amami. Momota caught the back of his collar to keep him still. “I missed you so much!” He bawled.

“He might be fine, but don't just fucking jump him!” Momota threw the pouting Oma away.

“Spoilsport.”

Surprisingly, Amami laughed at their interaction. “Those two became friends or something while I was gone?” he laughed at Saihara and Akamatsu. They shared a short, odd glance.

“If I may, Amami-kun,” Shinguji spoke up. Amami nodded at him, giving him the permission to speak. The masked boy tilted his cap down. “While I am glad to see you alive, one question has bothered me about your case, one that we were all wondering about during the trial.”

“Oh, what would that be?” I saw the small bead of sweat form on the adventurer’s forehead. He was worrying if he was going to be pried about something too revealing.

“It's why you were in the library,” Hoshi glanced at Amami from beneath his hat, having pushed it down on his face.

“Ah, that…” Amami scratched the back of his head. He put his hands to his hips and sighed. “I imagined you'd want to know about that.” He looked at everyone in the room. “What I'm going to say might shock some of you. You might even regret hearing it, afterwards.”

“Whatever it is, it was important enough to make the mastermind want to kill you,” Harukawa reminded.

“God says you should totally share, Rantaro!” Yonaga hopped, holding hands together in prayer. Amami swallowed. He was brought back to when he first found his room. He alone had received a video that detailed his participation in another killing game, and his wish to stop everything. It was bone chilling then, knowing that it was all up him. So many questions had flooded his mind. He had been completely lost then, not knowing if he could trust the video, the others, or even himself. He had been given a motive and the tools to accomplish his mission, but in the end, it had backfired so ironically, it almost caused the opposite effect than what he wanted.

“Whatever it is, we're ready to hear it,” Yumeno drawled.

Chabashira supported her quickly. “Tenko agrees! Whatever it is, if it helps us get out of here, we will listen!”

“You guys say that, but…” Amami crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Skeptic eyes and doubtful glances were directed towards the green haired boy.

“Guys, what the hell?” Momota yelled. “Are you serious?! He just came back from nearly dying! He is one of the few people who can actually tell us what's going on, and the only one who has even considered it!” I took slight offense to that. “Whatever he knows, it's dangerous enough to put his own life at risk! Imagine what Monokuma would do if we found out what he knows! We need to make sure that we're well prepared to hear whatever it is he has to say.”

“I agree with Momota-chan,” surprisingly Oma spoke up. He inspected his nails and scoffed. “You guys are all about working together and escaping, right? And yet, when we tried to stop the mastermind, it went all down the drain real quick. Whenever we try to work together, Monokuma somehow breaks us apart.” He rested his arms behind his head. “I say we vote.” Momota wasn't sure how to take the sudden support, but he didn't have the chance to appreciate it.

“Fuck that! I don’t care what the little dick-taker says, I want to get out of this shithole and hightail it to the horizon!” the inventor gave a thumbs down, making a face.

“Iruma-san, think about it!” Kiibo intercepted. “If it's true, than we might be falling for Monokuma's trap!”

“Gonta isn't sure,” the giant considered. “If it keeps everyone safe, Gonta things Amami shouldn't share. But if it helps us leave…”

“It's not that I don’t want to tell you guys,” Amami started. “But I don't want to put anyone in the same danger I was in.”

“Oooor, we could just ask Monokuma!” Oma offered again.

“Oma-kun, what do you mean?” the pianist demanded.

“Oh, simple. We ask him or one of his dumb little ‘children’ if it's alright for Amami-chan to share us whatever he knows. If it's not, it means he doesn't want us to know, so Amami-chan tells us. If it's alright with him, it either means that it really is alright or that it's a trap, so Amami-chan tells us.”

“It's the same outcome either way!” Chabashira protests, pointing a finger at him. “You're just saying that to get your way!”

Oma's eyes welled up with tears. “After I had everyone's wellbeing in mind… you still accuse me!” Only Amami seemed taken back, but he saw how quickly Oma got over it. “Still, we can always try. Hey, Monokuma! I know you heard us, come out!”

The students waited in silence for the headmaster to jump down a rafter or some other secret place, but nothing happened. Mount Olympus stayed silent.

“It looks like he's leaving the decision up to us,” Tojo commented, seeing no response from the bear.

“Alright. Then, let's vote. It'll only be fair,” Saihara calmed everyone down.

Oma was positively beaming. “Yippe! Saihara-chan agrees with me!”

Amami nodded. “Alright, I'm fine with that.”

Akamatsu turned to the room. “Show of hands, who wants Amami-kun to talk?”

Yonaga, Yumeno, Chabashira, Iruma, Akamatsu, Harukawa and Gokuhara raised their hands.

“And who is opposed?”

Saihara, Oma, Momota, Kiibo raised their hands this time. Leaving Shinguji, Tojo and myself impartial.

Akamatsu looked at us three. “You guys could turn around the vote, you know.”

“I am fine with whatever the majority chooses. Although I would rather find out what knowledge Amami-kun has to share, I shall remain neutral.”

Shinguji chuckled, holding up a meaningful finger. “Kehehehe. I share Tojo-san's disposition. I'd rather not choose a side in this if I can help it.”

I shrugged. “I just hope nobody has regrets on this decision.”

“Alright, so be it. I'll tell you,” Amami said. He crossed his arms and looked at the group. “When I first found my room, I saw a pad. A similar one to those we received today morning. When playing it…” he paused dramatically. He coughed into one hand. “I saw myself.”

“Yourself? In, like, the reflection or…” Gokuhara looked at him quizzically, tilting his head.

"It was a recording of me. I made it for myself since it addressed me. And what he- what I said… was pretty unnerving.” He took from the silence that he could continue. “He started off saying it was me. Me from the past. I didn't remember recording the video, and he said that it's because my memory was wiped. He said that, because of my participation in a killing game, I got some special perk; part of it was the recording, which nobody but me was supposed to see. The other perk being the special Monopad I got, which led me to the secret entrance in the library. I said in the video that I should have stopped the killing game from happening, but if I was seeing it, it hadn't worked out. There was also a part of the ‘last two remaining rule’ that I wanted to talk about, but whoever was recording the message didn't want me saying anything. Finally… this is probably the hardest to believe…” he steeled himself, closing his eyes. Everyone was sitting at the end of their seats. “…this isn't my first killing game. Apparently, my real talent is the Ultimate Survivor. As in, I had survived another killing game before this one. Everything included in my perk was part of my talent. The Survivor Perk. I ended the message by saying that I should trust no one, since you'd be after me if you knew who I was. My last words were ‘You wanted this killing game, so you have to win no matter what.’”

Everyone was silent. Whatever they had expected, it certainly wasn't that. This meant quite a few things and suddenly, being killed didn't seem like such a strange thought. The students cried in outrage.

“What?! Y-You're clearly lying, there's no- no way that’s true! I won't believe the words of a man!”

“Gonta no can believe that! Impossible!”

“Nishishishi… and finally things get interesting…”

“What a load of bullshit! There’s no way he’s for real, right? Fucking momma's boy has to be pulling our dicks!”

“I thought things were sour, but this? Looks like we still got a ways to go…”

“Everyone, calm down!” Saihara addressed his classmates. He tried getting them to stop panicking, but their collective voices only increased in volume.

“Everyone, pipe down!” Akamatsu yelled. It caught everyone's attention, and they turned to her. Saihara slouched a bit, which made Momota pat him on the back.

“I know this is all extremely strange news, but we need to focus! Yelling over each other isn't going to help anything! We need to take this one at a time.”

Tojo folded her hands in front of her. “We're all understandably quite shaken from this. However, I hold some skepticism to the contents of the video. Can it be trusted? We need to make that clear before anything else.”

Amami looked at me and I shrugged, nodding. He looked back at the maid. “It's legit. It's not part of an official motive, so there was no reason to have faked it. Also, it was definitely me. I know that for sure. I also…” he stammered, thinking on what to say. “I don't remember much… but I have reason to believe from my memories that it is indeed true.”

“You remember participating in another killing game?” Shinguji inquired.

“Not that. Remember, I got my memories wiped. There's no way I'd remember that.”

“But, if the video is real…” Yumeno started.

“Then this means we're not the only ones who've had to suffer through this.” Harukawa's blank face said it all. Even Yonaga seemed oddly drained from her usual spunk.

“One killing game is enough; why two?!” Momota slammed his fist on the table, glaring at the monitor nearby.

“A-Actually…” Amami stuttered, trying to keep his own cool. “I think there's been more than two. At least, the me in the video gave me the impression that there's been more than two. I'm not sure how many, but he sounded too casual about the way he explained it to me.”

“You telling me this shit has been going on for fucking ages or something?” Iruma yelled, holding up a finger in disdain. “What is this, some sort of fucking sappy teen drama TV show?!” I barely stopped myself from choking at that. Thankfully, nobody noticed.

“I think we can be sure that this isn't the first time a killing game has happened. Is that all you know?” Saihara turned his question towards Amami. The other boy nodded solemnly.

“I'm sorry, but that's all I have to share.”

“We could always ask Shirogane-san. She seems to know a lot more about all of this than we do!” Oma offered for the third time today. He didn't sound as irritating as usual, but he still wore an easy smile.

“From what I remember, I've seen Shirogane before,” Amami commented.

“You have?” If it meant what she thought it meant, Akamatsu was slowly starting to understand the hidden context behind Shirogane's earlier words.

“From the last killing game,” Amami clarified.

“So she masterminded the other one as well?” Kiibo asked, finger up and ahoge forming a question mark.

“I think that's safe to assume,” Saihara concurred. “But we won't know for sure until we… actually do talk to her.”

“And when is that, exactly?” Oma challenged. “I mean, you guys have been pussyfooting around this topic since the first trial! Come on, you've got to bite the bullet at one point, right? What's the worst that could happen?”

“She might not cooperate,” Akamatsu shot back, remembering last night's events clearly. She had gotten close to the girl, she didn't want to ruin what stable ground she had. “We will talk to her, but we need to wait!”

“I concur with Akamatsu-san,” Shinguji voiced out, brining all attention to him with a grand bow and wave. “While deducing the matter of where why and when is important, right now we should be worrying about the motive, don't you think?”

“The videos,” Gokuhara mumbled.

“So I'm not the only one who got one?” Kiibo was overjoyed, since he didn't feeling left out anymore.

“I got one… but it wasn't mine,” Yumeno put a finger to her lips.

“I don't think any of us got our own,” Akamatsu groaned.

Momota laughed. “Did Monokuma mess up or something?”

“Maybe they did. Or maybe we were meant to get each other's videos,” Harukawa noted. Tojo scowled in the background. Was she the only one who had gotten her own video? She couldn't believe her own luck.

“So we're switching them, right?” Iruma looked around, trying to guess who had her video.

“I don't think that’s the best idea, Iruma-san.”

“Eh?! Why not?!”

“You see,” Kiibo answered back. “If this is how I think it is, then Monokuma wants us to exchange them. These videos are meant for their rightful owners, that's the motive. If we don't exchange them, then we'll be playing to Monokuma's tune.”

“I'm alright with not changing mine,” Momota said, putting one arm on his him. “As long as we go against whatever Monokuma wants,” he jerked his finger at the monitor behind him. “Then we'll be set.”

“More talk of cooperation? Nishishi. It's like you're trying to make Monokuma force another time limit on us!”

“Nobody asked you!”

“I don't really care either,” Amami smiled slightly, a red blush covering his cheeks. “I already know who is the most important person to me, I don't need Monokuma’s video to tell me that.”

“Well I do,” Hoshi's face darkened. “I've got nothing to live for. I don't know about the rest of you, but I care to know who's on my video.”

Momota looked at him awkwardly. “Listen man, I understand what you're saying, but-“

“No. You don't. You all have someone waiting for you outside. Siblings, friends, parents, whoever. I got nobody anymore. So if there is someone, I want to know about it.”

Harukawa glanced away. She had seen the video, and did not feel particularly open to the idea of sharing what she had. Hoshi was already a severe case, and if he found out his motive was blank… She didn't want to be the catalyst to whatever came after.

“That's three people who want to change videos. Anyone else?” Akamatsu asked. She didn't mind handing over the video of the person she had, but… having watched it, she felt more guilt than ever. She was glad Amami was alive, but… knowing she would have killed the boy in his quest to find his missing sisters, never finding out the truth about them. It was a despairing thought. One she wasn't sure she would have been able to deal with had he died. She didn't care if she hadn't killed him, she still held herself just as much accountable as Shirogane.

“That seems to be it… Akamatsu-san, what should we do?” Saihara looked at her in question.

“W-What? Why me?” Why was he asking _her?_

“You are our leader. It should be up to you to decide,” Momota encouraged, flashing her a confident grin. She felt anything but confident. She thought she had been over Amami's case, but seeing him alive again, and seeing his motive video, she felt too drained to make any decisions.

“I think,” I interjected, seeing that everyone was at a loss. I looked at Tojo, expectant, Hoshi, glowering, Harukawa, abrasive and Oma, scheming. The liar and I shared looks, and his all but demanded we talk after lunch. “That we should keep onto the videos, at least for now. Or, if we can, put them somewhere where we can't reach them; no videos, no problem!”

“Iruma-san, can you do something about that?” Saihara hoped that the inventor could use some of her insight to craft them something helpful.

“I could make a fucking pandora's box if you asked nicely!” Iruma cackled.

“It would help us all greatly, and would be very appreciated!” Hearing Kiibo's plea, Iruma started sniveling.

“O-Of course it'll be the greatest thing you've ever seen! You guys n-need my help, r-right? Who else do you h-h-have? I-I’ll make a Pandora’s Pie Truck if I h-had to…”

“I guess it's decided then. Can I leave now?” Harukawa was willing to tear down the doors if it meant getting back to her lab. She couldn't leave it alone for a second, lest someone like Oma stumbled upon it.

“Hpmh.” Hoshi grumbled, turning away from everyone. “Have it your way. Just know, I won't just sit idly by. It's the last hope I have on this earth, the last strand of purpose. I ain't giving it away.” He walked off, hands in pockets, not even bothering to finish his meal.

“I'll be going to my lab. Tojo, bring me something later,” Harukawa ordered, leaving as well.

“What an end to an awful party!” It was Oma's time to make way for the door. “Though I guess it's all well since Taro-chan is back!” He stopped only to wave enthusiastically at the survivor, who happily waved back, before turning to the door. I followed him out, ready for his talk-down. “Come along now, Gonta-chan! We have much to discuss about this!”

“We do?” Gokuhara walked out confusedly behind us. I felt bad for using him, but it was for the better good.

Tojo thought back on Hoshi's words. Despite herself, a plan was starting to form, and she had just found her target. She could've turned back, but it was too late. Her devotion to her country called for no hesitation, and she left pity to the wind. She had a duty to complete.

 

\- Free Time -

 

Amami sat down at the table. Unlike the others, he hadn't eaten anything yet, and to Harukawa's nagging and secretly heartfelt concern she made sure he would he eat.

"She really lives up to her talent," Amami mused.

"Are you talking about Maki, Rantaro?" Yonaga slid to the seat next to him. It started the boy for a second, but he smiled at her similarly as she did to him.

"Yeah. She took care of me while I was... asleep. She did a great job, I'm sure I wouldn't be here if it weren't for her."

"Mhmm," Yonaga put a finger to her lips, pouting. "Although God helped out, like, a lot, she is sorta kind and caring, although she doesn't show it much."

"...but?"

"Buuuuut, God says that she's a troubled soul, just like Ryoma. Angie is worried for them."

Amami knew what she was talking about. Hoshi felt all alone and Harukawa gave off a similar air. They were both lonely figures. From what he had gathered, Momota was trying to get the brunette to warm up to him, with varying degrees of success.

"Rantaro, tell Angie what the afterlife was like!" said the artist suddenly, completely changing the theme of discussion.

Amami was baffled at her question. At best he had been in a coma, he hadn't actually died!

"Yonaga-san, I don't think that's a very sensitive way to go about that topic," Tojo tried to say to the artist, but she wasn't having any of it. The maid sighed and put a plate in front of Amami. "I'm afraid I don't know what your preference in drink is, but I have some green tea left."

"Please, that'll be great!"

Tojo bowed to Amami and left again for the kitchen, soon pouring him said tea. Meanwhile, Yonaga was fully invested in his tale of how it was to die.

"Was there, like, a shiny light? Did you see your loved ones again? Did you see God?!"

"God?"

"Well, duh! Everyone knows that you go to god when you die!"

"I don't... think it's that much of a common belief."

"But did you? Did you see Atua in, like, all his glory? Did he talk to you, and give you a message to give us? Did he say anything about me-"

"Yonaga-san," Amami said firmly, putting down his cup. His voice was even, and his expression neutral, but something about seeing the usually cool guy be so serious made the artist stop. "I didn't die."

"...right. Angie apologizes."

"Shouldn't you worried about your video?"

"Nah," Yoanag spun in her seat, holding her hands together up high above her. "Angie knows the most important person to her is Atua, she doesn't need anyone else. Whatever my video says, I'm not interested. Or at least, so tells me God. What about you?"

"Like I said, I think I already know who is on my tape..."

"Will you tell Angie as well?"

Amami was halfway done already with his meal. The girl sure could talk a lot.

"Remember what I said about my talent? I got it because of my two sisters. They are what I'm living for, my motivation."

"Huh. That's nice, Angie guesses."

Amami looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Do you have siblings yourself?"

"I dooo, but we were never really that close. Angie was more focused on God. After a while, the whole island sort of became my family cuz they all looked up to me for Atua's guidance."

"I see. You must have a really big family, then."

Yonaga said nothing and simply let her feet dangle from the edge of the chair like a child, completely ignoring Amami. The boy finished his meal and left. He needed to think about what to do with the video he got.

* * *

Oma whistled as he walked past the Ultimate Tennis Pro's lab. The surroundings were quite irregular, that would be clear to the most basic of idiots like Gokuhara. The main school building was riddled with vines and overgrown with grass. While the rest of the supposed academy was perfectly clear of any deprivation, the main building hadn't seen life in a very long time. Yet the academy was so well built, with a casino, a pool, a  l o v e   h o t e l. It was weird for it to be so unkempt. Tojo surely winced on the inside at seeing the state in which everything was in.

All these were casual musings as the Ultimate Supreme Leader made his way to his real target. A lab similar to the one he had just passed, but much more secretive in nature. It's master - or rather, mistress - took good care to keep it that way. As such, Oma found it to be his duty to solve this mystery, seeing as Saihara was busy with more trivial errands.

Finding the Ultiamte Caregiver's lab, he found Harukawa standing against the door, arms crossed, stern expression. The labs weren't locked, so it would make sense for her to camp outside.

"Haru-chan! So good to see you~!" Oma greeted, smiling widely. She glared at him and sighed inwardly. This was going to be a tiresome evening.

"What do you want?"

Oma faked hurt. "So rude! All I wanted was to check up on you! You seemed to have scurried off rapidly after lunch, leaving behind breadcrumbs everywhere,  so I was just wondering where you were getting your vitamins and protein.“ He peered behind Harukawa at the red door. The girl moved to cover his vision.

"I am fine. Now leave."

"Aww, come on! Just a little peek inside! I'm dying of curiosity!"

"I'll kill you before that happens," Harukawa assured with a glare.

Oma put a hand to his chin. "Oh, is that so? Shouldn't you be worried about the videos more? I mean, a lab is just a lab, but the motives tells us about the person we value most! You're so occupied with keeping your past under blanket that someone might try an alternative way to get to you instead!"

"Do you have my video?"

"No, but I wish I did! It would definitely make things much easier... and more interesting," his face turned dark. Much darker than Harukawa had seen before. Oma wasn't suddenly a mild annoyance anymore. "Maki Harukawa, the Ultimate Child Caregiver who hates Children. Yeah, as if that's right. Someone saw your video, Haru-chan, there's bound to be trouble for you! Cooperate with me, and I might even help you out!"

Harukawa couldn't help the grin. "You help me? Right, I'll definitely believe that. Shut up and go away before I make you." She stepped forward, coming face to face with Oma. They stared each other down before they were interrupted by a voice.

"The hell are you two doing?" Momota ran to where they were, and the two broke apart, Harukawa glaring at the purple haired boy.

"Kaito-chan!" Oma cried. "Maki-chan is bullying me!"

"For all I know, you deserved it," Momota deadpanned. "Seriously, what is going on?"

Oma immediately stopped crying and turned cheerful again. "Oh, I was just trying to figure out what our so-called caregiver was keeping under such tight locks!"

Momota put a hand to his hip. "If she's going out of her way to keep it such a secret, don't you think she has reason for that?"

"Exactly why I'm trying to find out what it is! Gosh, Kaito-chan, you're such a moron."

Momota shook his fist and his face crunched up. He fought back the urge to punch Oma's face. Harukawa took a step forward.

"Can the both of you leave?"

"Hey, what did I do?" Momota yelped.

"You're a bother," Harukawa explained. While she had been distracted with Momota, however, Oma was able to reach for the doorknob to her lab and open it slight. She slammed the door shut again. "And you're annoying," she finished.

"Alright, alright. Seesh! Talk about a party pooper," Oma sighed in disappointment and turned to retreat. "But remember, Harukawa-chan, the more you try to hide something, the more damage it will do when it's eventually found."

The astronaut and caregiver watched him leave, and Momota rammed a fist into his other hand. "If he comes again, tell me, and I'll kick his ass."

"I won't. Now leave," Harukawa opened the door to her lab and left him alone in the hallway. Momota chuckled and shrugged. He looked at her door and sighed.

"You don't act like it, but you do care, don't you?" Momota wondered if he should return the motive video to its rightful owner, but shook his head. Maybe later.

* * *

"Fucking shit!" Iruma threw her screwdriver down to the ground and stomped on the floor of the library. Kiibo flinched, nearly losing his grip on the rest of the tools. "This thing is shut tighter than a virgin's asshole!"

"Does that translate to that you can't open it?" Akamatsu tried. She was going to have to talk about Iruma's language in the near future.

"Unsurprising," Shonguji's voice was heard from behind one of the books he had taken from the library, fully immersing himself. "It would be too easy to simply break our way into the mastermind's lab."

"I don't think even Shirogane-san herself can enter it anymore," Saihara thought, looking at the door.

Akamatsu was desperately trying not to look at the still visible stains of pink that one could notice on the floor. She didn't need any more nightmare fuel today. "So there's nothing we can do?"

"Didn't you hear me? I told you, this thing is shut tighter than-"

"I got that, Iruma-san. Also, could you... not talk like that?"

"What's the matter, pig tits? You feelin' threatened that I'll steal your boytoy-"

"You've done well, Iruma," I interrupted her insulting Akamatsu and walked up to the door, sliding a tentative hand across the keycard reader. Mokokuma had no doubt confiscated the key the same way he had taken Amami's Survivor Perk Pad. He didn't want to leave any holes unplugged if he could help it. It was a gamble whether or not he felt generous enough to leave _any_ of the hidden passages open. I hadn't taken a look at the map Amami had, so I wasn't sure if there were any outside of the library and bathroom. However...

I looked at the monitor in the library.

"W-Well, of course I have!" Iruma was twirling one of her locks between her fingers, suddenly much less aggressive.

"Iruma-san, I think that's all we can do. We should return these tools back to your lab," Kiibo advised and pulled the flustered inventor away.

Monokuma knew what Amami had revealed. His miniature camera-bears had indefinitely broadcasted the morning meeting. Which meant that the audience knew we were ever closer to figuring things out. That ought to keep them entertained. Monokuma is aware of that for sure. If I had to guess, I'd imagine he left the other secret entrances open for us to find, if there were any. The current situation could work in our favor.

"What are you thinking about?" Saihara approached me. Akamatsu had apparently left with Iruma and Kiibo.

"I was thinking that Monokuma must've left some entrances open for us to find. To make things fair," for the audience's pleasure, if nothing else.

"Maybe. But they're very well hidden. I didn't even think that there could be one in the bathrooms," Sahara tried pulling on his cap to hide his face, but found nothing in it's place. "I'm sorry. I wish I could be more useful as a detective, but I'm really not. They made a mistaken when they give me the title of Ultimate Detective."

"Nonsense, Saihara-kun." Surprisingly, it came from Shinguji. He closed his book slightly and placed it on his propped knee. "Whether an amateur or not, I don't believe you when you say that the appointment of your title was a mistake. We're all constantly learning, yourself included. As a detective, you should not aspire to be the best right now, but to become better with each new mystery, so that you feel like you learned something each time. At least, that is what I believe. Seeing people grow is a beautiful thing and I hope you keep on growing tall." The impromptu motivational speech rivaled that of Momota's. Saihara was definitely taken back, with no words to say. His appearance said ‘filthy murderer’, but I was certain that he held the just and pureness of an innocent child at heart.

"Thank you, Shinguji-kun," Saihara finally managed, getting a sudden boost to his confidence. "I will do my best to learn from this."

"If that is indeed so, then there's no need to thank me," the storyteller said. I'm sure he was smiling behind his mask.

"What're you reading?" I asked.

He turned to me and showed me the title. "'A Collection of Lore on Fish and Sea Creatures.'"

"Planning on going fishing, Shinguji-kun? Though I doubt you’ll find a Moby Dick in these parts," I said jokingly.

"Kehehehe. Not fishing itself, but this book offers quite a few interesting stories on fish."

"I'd imagine there are more than a few tales of krakens and other such monsters hidden beneath the sea."

"Indeed there are. While there are many tales of odd sightings and stories of boats and ships mysteriously going missing, there are also an array of information for everyday use. It goes in detail how to remove their scales and bones with ease, how to roast, cook and fry fish, what spices and other additions to use, where best to procure them and how. This paragraph is quite interesting, in fact. It's a method on how to obtain big quantities of fish at once.

"'One method of procuring large amounts of fish is to crush husks from hickory nuts or black walnuts and throw them into the water. They poison the fish, but it will not affect the person who eats the animals themselves.'"

I furrowed my eyebrows. A method to kill fish? "Hey, Shinguji-kun, you wouldn't mind borrowing that book to me for a second, would you?"

* * *

"Woah! This place is filled with magic!" Chabashira bubbled over all the different contraptions and... 'magical items' in Yumeno's lab. Hoshi stared at the saw hovering over a box. He knew exactly what sort of 'magic' that caused, and did't want to be in the audience to witness it. The cauldron didn't help any either. Echoes of screams filled his mind, and he could almost see someone being burnt alive in a melting pot. He turned to the more passive item in the room. Or, items rather. Birds.

"I'm guessing there's a rabbit somewhere around here?" the ex-con joked.

"If there were, it would've died of loneliness by now," Yumeno answered. Hoshi found that oddly fitting and relatable. "Those are my familiars. They're useful for sending things around and keeping notes." Hoshi wasn't sure how that worked, but he wasn't about to ask for an in-depth explanation.

"Oh, oh! Yumeno-san, could you show us some magic with these cards?" Chabashira waved around a pack of cards she had found.

Yumeno eyed it wearily. "I don't know... my mana is depleted right now, I don't think I can do any magic."

"A-Ah, that's okay! You should rest some more, and then I'm sure you could even make someone disappear!" The martial artist didn't quite realize what she had said. The two shorter people looked at each other, not knowing what to say to that. Maybe even use some separation magic! I'm sure you could do it without any problem-"

"Chabashira-san." She looked a bit irritated that a guy had interrupted her, but shut up due to the tennis player's next words. "Maybe we should think about what the others might think when they see someone disappear or get cut in half, considering our situation."

It took a moment for Chabashira to realize what he had meant. "T-Tenko didn't mean it like that! S-she only meant t-that both of those spells would require a-a lot expertise, so Yumeno-san-"

"I'm tired. I'm gonna go sleep," the magician curtly cut Chabashira off, leaving her lab.

The man-hater tried calling back to her, but Hoshi stopped her. "I think you should leave her alone for a little while."

She brushed him off. "I don't need the advice of a _man_ ," she spat. "Yumeno-san! Wait! Tenko didn't mean it like that! Tenko is sorry!" Her voice got smaller and smaller as she ran after the red-haired girl.

Hoshi sighed. "Well, this _man_ certainly seems to understand more about women then you do..."

* * *

Akamatsu had followed Iruma and Kiibo to the former's lab. The inventor dropped all of her tools randomly on the floor and pouted in a chair. Kiibo looked at her, worried, but didn't quite know what to say.

Akamatsu went up to her. "What's wrong, Iruma-san?"

The other blond scoffed. "As if you'd understand, Bakamatsu."

Bakamatsu's face twitched. "Could you tell me anyways?"

"The fucking systems in this hellhole are done in real fucking good. They're nearly impenetrable! It's like they're glued to the walls, and the code is incomprehensible! That little shit Monokuma really went out of his way to make sure nothing was toyed with."

"That would be a given," Kiibo said, almost sounding exasperated. "Maybe if we had Amami-kun's Perk Monopad, things would be easier."

"I guess we'll just have to play it by ear," Akamatsu tried lightening the mood, but Iruma wasn't having it. "It's alright, Iruma-san. I'm sure your expertise will come useful soon enough. Not to mention, we still need that 'pandora's box' from you to put the videos in!"

As if a trigger, Iruma's expression suddenly lit up. "That's it! The cameras!"

"The cameras?" Akamatsu asked.

"The cameras...?" Kiibo parroted.

"The cameras!" Iruma confirmed. "I placed some in front of Shitmugi's room, just to make sure she didn't walk out on us suddenly! Keep up, snot stains!" Iruma yelled, dashing through the doors of the lab.

When the other two had finally reached Shirogane's door, Iruma got to work on removing something from the wall. Indeed, it was the same camera that Akamatsu had used to trap the mastermind in the library.

"I made sure that there was no fucking glaring-ass flash, so this baby should've captured something by now for sure!" She went through the pictures it had. There weren't that many, but if you take into consideration it can only be triggered by movement, then there was a fair amount of photos. Some of them were people passing by in a flash. A few of them were of me, facing the cosplayer's door. Then, there were two of Shirogane leaving and entering her room. The timestamps put them around 1 AM last night.

"Aha! So the bitch did leave her room!" Iruma yelled victoriously. "She's been sneaking around the school after hours. Suspicious, don't you think, Bakamatsu? Isn't this simply a grand fucking plan by me?"

"The timestamps indicate that she wasn't out for a long time. What did she do?" Kiibo noticed, antenna turning into question mark.

Akamtsu looked worriedly at the inventor. Should she admit to having seen Shirogane last night? Would the other blonde get mad that she hadn't said anything about it? Better that then people getting suspicious of the cosplayer.

"Actually, Iruma-san... I saw her last night."

"What?!" the busy blond shrieked. "Did you get attacked by her? Or maybe..." a lewd smile crossed her face which made Akamatsu uncomfortable. "Did she make a personal visit to your quarters in the middle of the night for some midnight action? Nothing like a good revenge fuck!"

"N-Nothing like that! I just saw her standing outside of the dorms for a while! She went back soon after. It didn't look like she was doing anything suspicious, she was probably getting some fresh air."

Iruma looked disappointing at that. She had hoped her invention had been of use and maybe even helped the others in some way to garner praise. Akamatsu noticed this and tried to fix things

"Not to say that the cameras weren't of help, Iruma-san! If I hadn't noticed her, we definitely would've been unaware that she went out at night! It's definitely a good scheme, so don't feel bad that it didn't get anything this time."

"I agree with Akamatsu-san. Your cameras will be of great use to us in the future, I'm sure."

Iruma started hugging herself and drooling, muttering something about 'grateful' and 'bitches' from the pianist and robot's appreciation. Akamatsu did feel a bit bad for having to spy on Shirogane like this, but better safe than sorry. She didn't look the part of an evil mastermind, but the pianist had to remind herself that she had thought the same when she had attacked Amami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can' t believe it's been almost a week since I actually wrote this chapter. I've been very busy lately, especially since I'm moving, so the past week has been hectic to say the least. So sorry for the delay, or something... even though it hasn't been all that long.
> 
> Also, I think I might need a beta, at one point. Probably. I'm not confident enough about these chapters with my opinion alone. So, if anyone's up to it or something, let me know!
> 
> The next chapter is nearly, nearly done, and the chapter after that will be the trial and stuff. So Chapter 2 of the game is almost done. Yay!


	7. Underwater Endurance

I had gotten used to the feeling of not sleeping. Oddly enough, outside of… what, going back in time? Starting over again? Time-rewinds? Whatever it was, outside of those, I barely felt tired. I remember almost collapsing in the library when Amami finally survived that fateful throw. Then again, it would be pretty weird if turning back time didn't take _some_ strain on my body.

At least this time I was able to pretend to sleep until a normal hour. I wouldn’t have to find myself alone in the cafeteria again. As I neared the door to it, I almost ran into someone.

“A-Ah, I’m sorry-“

“Out of my way!”

I didn’t need to see the figure retreat to know their identity. I looked at the cafeteria doors in wonder. The morning was already turning out cheerful.

I walked into the building, looking for the probable cause of Chabashira’s ire. I didn’t need to do much more than open the doors and all was made clear. Yumeno was sitting at the table, Yonaga at her side, both of their hands together in prayer. The threads connect automatically in my head. When I entered Yumeno opened one of her eyes, probably thinking that I was the returning aikido girl. Her disappointment was clear.

“We doing a prayer circle in the mornings now?” I began, walking up to the table. I knew Yonaga rubbed Chabashira the wrong way, but I failed to remember a point where she walked out of the room, seething from anger. I looked around the room, noticing I was the last to arrive.

“Angie is just spreading the influence of Atua,” the artist declared.

 _Not good,_ I deduced. “Yeah, Chabashira was practically overflowing with divine belief when she ran me over like a road roller.” Yumeno subtly flinched and looked off into the distance. She seemed regretful. Of what, I wasn’t sure.

“Tenko has… difficulties accepting God into her life,” Yonaga explained matter-of-factly. “Which is totes normal cuz it’s not easy to just suddenly take God into your heart! So Angie understands her hesitation, but she is sure that with time, Tenko will see the light!”

My lips creased and spread into a paper-thin line. Hesitation was the worst word to use.

“Angie has already gotten Himiko to see and understand the might of Atua!” she declared proudly. “He is alone to thank for our situation!”

“I’m going out on a limb and say you’re _not_ talking about the imprisoned part of our situation.”

“It’s all thanks to Atua,” Yonaga ignored my sarcastic remark, “that nobody has died yet! He is, like, totally keeping us safe from harm! Rantaro’s head didn’t explode and ‘Muggy was also spared from the evil clutches-… paws, of Monokuma!”

“Uhm… I don’t think that’s quite the case-“ Saihara’s rebuttal was shot down by Yonaga’s intense gaze. I scrunched my nose. Yonaga was a good person at heart, but her devotion was obnoxious on one side and dangerous on the other. It seemed that the lack of killings fueled her belief in Atua, which would definitely prove to be troublesome later. Yumeno was pretty down in the dumps.

I looked at Momota who was standing just off to the side and walked up to him. “You mind filling me in?”

“Yonaga converted Yumeno to her religion,” he started.

“Chabashira took personal offense,” Akamatsu added.

“She stormed off,” Amami joined in.

“And now little red’s pouting up a fucking storm!” Iruma finished.

I shook my head. “And everything in the universe returns to its natural state.”

“Yup. The wind blows and the sun shines,” Momota sighed with me.

“She’s becoming quite the prophet,” Shinguji murmured from beneath his mask. His usually calm and soothing voice seemed more tense than usual. “The work of ‘Atua’ seems to have no bounds.”

“You’re all so weird, like, nobody believes in God,” Yonaga almost pouted, giving an unusual crack in her cheery façade. The three of us regarded her with conviction. “I know!” She turned to Yumeno. “Why don’t we put on a show!”

The magician tilted her head, mind suddenly dragged away from Chabashira to Yonaga. “A show?”

“Mmhmmm! Like, a magic show! Atua says we should do it, to lift some spirits and to, like, let the others see how mighty Atua can be!”

The magic show… I needed to do something to stop the murder. The determination in the believer’s eyes told me that it would be fruitless to stop the show from happening in general. Which meant I’d have to get creative…

“A show? But how would that help show God’s powers?” Gokuhara wondered.

“Why, that’s simple! Himiko got her powers _from_ Atua!” Yonaga chirped.

“I did?”

“You did! Atua blessed you with those powers so that you could create magic around the world, bringing joy and happiness to all!”

“Oh, looking up magic tricks on the internet count as divine blessings now?” Momota shrugged, getting back to his morning meal. “Well, whatever. It’ll distract us enough from the motives, not to mention that it might bring us together.”

“Or apart,” I prophecised.

“I’d drink to that,” Hoshi muttered grimly. He was still depressed and irritated that he hadn’t received his video yet. _It’s for your own good, Hoshi._

“Sounds like fun! If Yumeno-san got powers from Atua, it will surely be great!” Gokuhara naively said.

“Then that’s what we’ll do!” Yonaga announced to the rest. The others seemed to be mostly indifferent on the point, only grunting in acknowledgement.

“I might even be able to play a piece on the piano, if everyone would like that.” Not everyone looked particularly invested in Yonaga’s forcefulness, so Akamatsu thought that adding her own talent into the ‘show’ would convince them to attend. Spirits had to be kept high and unison strong.

“Whatever. If someone wants to give me my video, I’ll be in my lab,” Hoshi left the cafeteria. He was followed by pitying and worry-filled gazes.

The students started talking about the upcoming show like a circus had just recently arrived in town. The two showrunners were in deep conversation about what sort of ‘magic’ to perform. I was sure they weren't the only people making plans for the upcoming event.

* * *

I stood against the wall with my arms crossed. Oma was supposed to be in Gokuhara’s research lab by now, along with most everyone else. Hoshi would evade the entomologist, Harukawa would be in her lab, Iruma would strip to embarrass the boy and Tojo would be let out. I needed to find her and stop her. Maybe convince her to not kill Hoshi, if I could. Though probably not. I just hoped the plan would work. 

__

__

_A few days earlier, Oma had walked into my room to discuss. It was nearing nighttime, Akamatsu and Saihara were already training. It was the perfect time to scheme._

_“So, is the motive inspiring?” I asked the purple haired leader of Evil. Evil with a capital E._

_“Hmm. It’s definitely something that could inspire many to murder, but not yours truly.”_

_“Aww, I’m sure you have people who would miss you, Oma-kun.” My mind flashed back to the motive video I received in the morning that was meant for the boy. As I expected, his motive was DICE. The only people he cared about; his ‘super-secret organization of Evil with over 1000 members’. His only family. They might not even be real. Or maybe everything that Shirogane had said was bullshit. Did she even know anything, or was it all a script given to her by Team Danganropna? Or did she make the script? So many questions, I’ll probably forget to ask half of them._

_“I wasn’t insinuating that I didn’t, I was saying I wouldn’t be dumb enough to kill someone over that. Now, someone else…”_

_“Someone who has a person they would kill for.”_

_“Something tells me you’ve already got a plan.”_

_“Don’t you?” I asked him. I knew he had to. This is where his slow and steady manipulation of Gokuhara would commence and continue until the boy was eventually executed._

_Instead of answering, Oma crossed his arms and smiled at me. “So, what’s the take? What do you propose my master plan is? Have a go, I’m sure you’ll pass with flying colors. No shame.”_

_I wasn’t keen on answering._

_“Tell me. Go on, don’t be shy.”_

_Clever bastard. He was onto me. I knew the deal I had cut with him was too revealing, but I couldn’t risk him not cooperating with me. The ‘rewinds’ only took me back when someone died, not when negotiations failed. “Well, we should probably make Monokuma’s motive nil, by some way.”_

_“Wasn’t the cum dumpster making a shit-box for us to dump the motives into?”_

_“It’d take too long,” I bluffed. “Besides, someone could always crack it open. Or break it. We need to have everyone see the videos.”_

_“And how do we do that?” he challenged. I wasn’t as clever as he was, and coming up with a bullshit plan on the spot would be stupid, not even taking into consideration that Oma would see through me like glass._

_“…first we’d need to gather everyone in one place.”_

_“So, which one of us is going to do that?”_

_“It can’t be either of us; you’re too suspicious and I can’t have the others doubting me. We need to rile up someone who would cause a conundrum in which a byproduct would be that everyone is together in one place. Then, we steal the videos and show them to everyone.”_

_“And who is going to be the fool that we trick?” Oma knew already who it was, but he wanted to hear me say it. The little ‘dick-taker’ had me cornered._

_“…good question.” I paced around the room, like I was thinking, hand cupping my chin. Oma just walked to my table and sat on it, looking at me with a patient smile. “…you could help think as well, you know?”_

_“Nah. As a supreme leader, I can just have my minions do all the dirty work.”_

_“This isn’t dirty work, this is pre-planning.”_

_“Whatever. Besides, you already have a full plan ready, right? What’s the point in thinking about it when you know for a fact that it’ll succeed.”_

_“…”_

_“Oh, come on now. You’ve had a plan since you struck that deal with me. Now spill it.”_

_“…we’d need someone to bring everyone together. Most likely by force. Gokuhara-kun would be the best subject to that.”_

_“The idiot giant? Psh, as if he’d ever kidnap others! He wouldn’t hurt a fly, literally!”_

_“Not if we give him a convincing enough motive.”_

_“Like?”_

_“…he needs to have a reason for kidnapping. Something that’s close to his heart; bugs.” I snapped my fingers, giving the impression I had suddenly come up with something. “He would want everyone to appreciate bugs more, right? So we tell him that they dislike bugs, making him angry and giving him a motive to bring people together. Meanwhile, we break into people’s rooms with your lockpicking skills and gather the videos.”_

_“Hmm. I can definitely crack the locks, sure. But you’re going to tell him.”_

_“Why me? You’re far more convincing.”_

_“Nu-uh. No way, Jose. This is your plan now; if it fails, you’re to blame. Call it my insurance if you decide to pull a fast one on me.”_

_“Seriously? You don’t want to take credit for what is essentially removing the current motive?”_

_“Nah, not my style. Besides, who can guarantee that it will work? Maybe it will backfire or something? I just image it would make things a hell of a lot more interesting.”_

_I had basically retold him his own idea. It was funny, but not for me. Cooperating with Oma left me at a disadvantage. He could easily trick or use me, but I needed this. I needed to be outside of the Meet and Greet to stop the murder. With Oma’s ‘protection’, I just had to convince Tojo to go easy on Hoshi. I caught myself, realizing I sounded no better than Oma himself, plotting one of his antagonizing schemes. I shook my head to clear the though, right now was not the time to be emotional or empathetic. Things need to be done to keep everyone alive, and those aren't always the best things._

Saihara’s head felt like a brick. Everything was a pitch-black darkness to the backdrop of a soft buzzing near his ear.

“Ah, he seems to have awakened,” Kiibo’s voice was the first thing Saihara heard.

He opened his eyes and looked around to see where he was. He was surrounded by a couple of his classmates. The first one he saw was Shinguji, standing near him, arms behind his back.

“Wha…” Was the detective’s most intelligent response.

“And a good evening to you as well, Saihara-kun,” the anthropologist chuckled.

“Where am I…?”

“Welcome to the afterlife!” Oma appeared from behind the masked boy, gleefully skipping to the raven-haired detective. “Or is hell more appropriate?”

“Or maybe we are in Tartarus?” Shinguji mused, walking to the wall next to Saihara. Or rather, the cages. That buzzing was, in fact, a bunch of bugs trapped in glass cages. On further inspection, Saihara guessed that it was the Ultimate Entomologist’s lab.

“Alright… _why_ are we here?”

“Weeeeel, I thought that it’d be a lot of fun to gather everyone together for movie night!” Oma declared, hands in their usual position.

“Movie night?”

“To translate,” Shinguji explained. “Oma-kun got Gokuhara-kun to kidnap us under the pretense of an Insect Meet and Greet to show us our motive videos. For what reason, that I do not know.”

“The reason? Why, that’s simple, Shinguji-chan! This will make things tons more interesting!”

“We already went over this! It’s not happening!” Kiibo persisted.

“Yeah, yeah, nobody cares, you’re a robot.” Oma rolled his eyes and waved Kiibo away. “I went through a lot of trouble to make this plan, so you all better be grateful!”

The door opened with Gokuhara holding Akamatsu and Chabashira on his shoulders.

“Gonta-kun, let me go!” the former yelled, hitting the boy on the back.

“Akamatsu-san, if even my Neo-Aikido can’t defeat him, you definitely can’t,” Chabashira sounded defeated. She had been spying- she means, _protectfully observing_ Yumeno and Yonaga set up the magic show. She couldn’t leave the girl alone with… that blabbering brainwasher.

Akamatsu stopped hitting Gokuhara when he placed her down on the ground.

“Finally- Oh… hey guys…” she noticed the others in the room and concluded: “Rough day?”

“Yay~, Akamatsu-chan is here! And the feminist… The party is almost complete!” Oma giggled.

“What’s going on?” the blonde looked around at the boys in the room.

“Gonta was bullied by Oma to kidnap us all so he could show us our motives,” Saihara quickly summarized.

“Of course…” Akamatsu sighed.

“Why am I not surprised that a male would come up with this sort of plan…”

“Akamatsu-chan! Chabashira-chan!”

“Don’t call me that!”

Oma didn’t listen to the martial arts master. “Such betrayal! And here I thought you wanted to see the videos too!”

“I wanted to give them to their rightful owners,” the pianist groaned, feeling a headache coming on. “Not kidnap everyone to force them to watch their videos.”

“Poe-the-toh, poe-tah-toh,” Oma shrugged. “It’s a shame we didn’t get Hoshi-chan here, I’m sure he would've been absolutely dazzled to see his video!”

“Gonta brought Akamatsu-san, but not Iruma-san,” the entomologist reported.

“Huh, why not?”

The boy went red in the face and Akamatsu gave a similar response, looking away, flustered.

“Gonta’s face become red… not able to look at Iruma-san…”

“Y-Yeah, uh, Iruma-san really evaded Gonta-kun in that one, ehehe…” Akamatsu chuckled awkwardly.

The boys look at them both questioningly. Chabashira raised an eyebrow as well.

“A-Also, Angie-san said that she and Yumeno-san couldn’t attend, because they’re putting on a magical show for everyone in the name of Atua!”

A gasp of pure disbelief escaped Chabashira, slackjawed. "S-So you just left her with the brainwasher?!"

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Oma walked to the door, opening it. “I have a lot of work to do, can’t slack off now! Gonta-chan, be a dear and keep an eye on them. Make sure to make them see the beautify of bugs and all that stuff.” He threw a lazy wave and walked off.

Gokuhara smiled, opening the doors to the cages. “OK, everyone. Play nice with the bugs!” Like a giant wave, swarms of bugs spilled out like an overflowing pool. The buzzing became louder by the second and a heavy aura filled the room.

Everyone exchanged weary looks.

“You don’t suppose we’d be able to overpower him with the numbers advantage, do you?” Shinguji wondered.

“Not a chance,” Akamatsu responded.

“ _Grand._ ”

This was, indeed, in every sense of the word, hell.

__

__

_“Gonta-chan!” Oma cried, patting the giant on the back. We had left the cafeteria, the three of us, and I could see Oma pushing me under the bus already. He was shoving the matter of convincing Gokuhara to me. “We would like to talk to you!”_

_“Oh? What about, Oma-kun?” The entomologist was hopelessly dense to what he had just walked into. I almost felt like dropping the whole plan, but kept myself composed._

_“Yup! We wanted to talk about bugs! Our absolute loooooove for bugs!” the purple haired boy emphasized, nudging me. “In fact, us two love bugs so much, we have noticed how we’re the only ones who really appreciate them!”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_My cue. “Gokuhara-kun, do you know of the others’ feeling towards bugs?” I asked, slowly. I needed to present the case naturally. Gokuhara wasn’t the brightest bulb, but he shone bright enough that he could easily catch on to what I was doing if I didn’t pick my words correctly._

_“Um… Gonta not sure… he thinks others like bugs.”_

_“Well, they don’t. In fact…” I paused, thinking for the right word. “They find bugs nauseating.”_

_“W-What?” the tall boy was taken back, shocked and appalled. “Really? Gonta… Gonta did not know…” He looked down, sadly. I felt terrible at having to lie to Gokuhara like this, but if it meant that I could possibly stop a murder, it was worth it. I kept telling myself that._

_“It’s quite sad. So me and Oma-kun thought you could show others how to appreciate bugs more! You could gather everyone and show them the wonders of bugs!” I offered. “Everyone finds bugs repulsive, and stomach-churning and disgusting. They’d kill all the bugs in your lab if they had the chance! Isn’t that terrible?” Something snapped in Gokuhara’s eyes and I knew I had struck gold._

_“Gonta… Gonta will show everyone how great bugs can be!” I felt a fiery aura around him. He stomped off, and I prayed for the safety of my classmates._

_“Wow,” Oma exclaimed from my side. “I didn’t think that would work.”_

_“Was there ever any doubt? Come on, let’s go get those tapes.”_

_Oma paused, looking at me from the corner of his eye. “…I think I’ll go see what Gonta does to the others. It’ll be pretty funny to see them get swept up like flies by him. You can’t possibly be asking me to miss that!” He skipped off, not even bothering to hear my complaints. “You get started, I’ll come around eventually!” he chirped, rounding the corner._

Great _, I thought to myself,_ leave all the dirty work to the minion, why don’t you.

It had been too long. Oma was taking his sweet time getting to work. I left my spot in the hallway and walked around.

Yonaga and Yumeno were at the gym, setting up the preparations for the magic show. The rest who hadn't been caught were scattered around the school, doing their own little thing, probably trying to forget about the motive videos. I hadn't gotten mine. It made me a little nervous. I understood Hoshi’s need to have a meaning in life. In the end, whoever came up with the videos was at fault. It was debatable if Hoshi didn't truly have any relatives or friends waiting for him. If everything went as it had before, Iruma’s box of miracles would be useless. Even if she made it, the murder would be long over before we would get to use it.

I looked around for the liar boy, and as luck would have it, I found him running down the hallway.

“There you are! I’ve been looking for-“ What cut me off was him running _past_ me.

“Oma-kun!” I heard a voice from the direction he had come from and realized what had happened. He had been playing tag with Tojo. This was perfect! I could stop her from killing Hoshi! It meant that Oma would be left alone for a while, but I could put an end to the next murder. Hoshi would see his video… but I could still keep him alive.

“Have you seen Oma-kun?” the maid asked, finally reaching me. She was out of breath and disheveled.

“Nope. However, if you’re looking for Hoshi-kun, he should be around Harukawa-san’s lab.”

“W-What? What does that have to do with anything?” she asks, startled. I don’t respond.

“The motive this time around is quite interesting,” I start. “The person we value most. It’s certainly something that one would kill for, wouldn’t you say? After all, it can be a fountain of motivation for some of us. Just look at Hoshi, I’m sure he’d kill to find out who his special someone is,” I open my hand, bawling it into a fist. “You know already who your special someone is, don’t you, Tojo-san?”

She starts. She glares at me and I look back. “Or should I say, people? After all, Japan is quite big.” She walks up to me, making me back into a wall. This position was eerily similar to what had happened with Amami. And then it hadn’t worked. This was a bad omen.

“How do you know that?” she nearly parroted the survivor’s words.

“I’m an informed citizen, let’s leave it at that. Point is, you’re going to kill someone. Your main target is Hoshi-kun, right? He’s depressed, has no reason or will to live; the perfect target for your murder! But I implore you to reconsider, Tojo-san. We figured out the mastermind’s plans already, and if you go through with this, you’ll just be making a mistake. Think about it, are you really willing to leave us all to die by getting away with the murder?”

She looked a little pitying and regretful. She cared for us, as a maid and as a friend. However, it was too late. She had made up her mind. “I hold no regrets when I say that yes, I am willing to make that sacrifice. Everyone here is dear to me, but my country needs me. I can’t die here!” She yells, bangs darkening her features.

“You can’t! You’ll just get yourself killed! It’s too much of a risk!”

“A risk I’m willing to take,” her voice was barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry for this. But you know too much,” she takes a hold of my neck and pushes me against the wall. I gasp for breath, but her hold is firm. I try to let myself loose, but the pressure on my wind pipe only grows. I can feel the edges of my vision darken.

I had failed. I couldn’t convince her. I had come off too strongly and in turn made myself the victim to her murder. I wanted to cry. Would I really get it wrong every time? All I wanted was to save my friends! They didn’t deserve this! None of them! And yet, I couldn’t do it. I was hopeless. Despite my efforts, I just couldn’t do it. A tear fell down my cheek.

**_(No. It isn’t hopeless. We can do it!)_ **

A voice inside me said. Like a trigger mechanism, my thoughts shifted.

I could have another go at it… I could still save everyone! I would have to try harder next time, I’d have to try no matter how bleak it looked! Tojo was determined for her country, but I couldn’t let that stop me. I had much greater determination for my classmates. It could still do it.

The last thing I could hear before my vision went blank were her words. “I apologize, but your death will not be in vain, I can promise that.”

…

…

…

“And now, everyone, Himiko’s underwater escape!” Yonaga declared. Everything had been set in place. Both of the girls had put in a lot of effort to make this the greatest show anyone had seen, to celebrate the lack of murders. Everything was in place, the piranhas were ready, and Yumeno had dropped in the water. After a few moments, Yonaga pulled away the curtains, letting the piranhas fall into the tank. The piranhas fell as they were supposed to, but there was a _small, teeny tiny_ addition to them. That of a dead body. The self-proclaimed observer floated in the water. They had long drowned, and the piranhas ate up their body in a matter of seconds in front of the other, startled and shocked students.

*bing bong ding dong*

“Upupupupu, BWAHAHAHAAH! A body has been discovered! Everyone, please gather in the gym! The game has finally started!”

 

The void felt like the water with the piranhas. It was comforting, almost. Like a velvet sheet covering you from the cold. Soft, comfortable, keeping you safe. You didn’t need anyone else.

__

__

“Well, fuck me,” were the first words out of my mouth. I jumped awake, in my own bed, without Amami. I didn’t let myself be disappointed, but instead concentrated on the headache that I had contracted. Whether it was a phantom pain from being strangled and drowned and what I can only assume was being eaten whole by piranhas. Or it was from the ‘rewind’? It felt hard simply standing up from my bed. It was probably from the lack of sleep that was slowly getting to me, nothing else. Nothing to worry about. Nothing…

Chabashira rushed out, Yonaga prayed with Yumeno, they planned the magic show. I rubbed my temples. So, a direct approach wasn’t gonna work. What a shocker, didn’t see that one coming... I had a lot of time before the murder, before Gokuhara even went on a kidnapping spree. I could use this time to make a difference. Simply asking Tojo to stop wasn’t gonna do much. I needed… to influence her thinking. And maybe…

An interesting idea propped to my mind. This could work… a risky gamble, but it would have to do. If it didn’t, I’d just restart over again. Nothing bad in trying, right? Let's go see what the Tennis Pro is up to...

* * *

Hoshi sighed for what was the umpteenth time in the last five minutes. He sat in his lab. He saw no point in doing anything else. If nobody was willing to give him his tape, then there was no reason for him to interact with them. They were all nice enough kids, but they all had a long way to go. But no matter how nice they were, it wouldn't change a thing. Everyone he loved was dead, except his cat. But even then, it wouldn't miss him. A death row inmate in a killing game. It’s like he was meant to be a victim or something.

Hoshi laughed mirthlessly at the notion. Someone was surely betting on him for that.

His musings were interrupted by his lab door opening, two people coming in.

“Do you have my tape?” was Hoshi’s automatic response.

“Nope,” Momota answered back, unfazed.

“Then I don’t have anything to talk about.”

“We aren’t here to talk,” said the other kid, whatever their name was. “We’re here for a game.”

“A game?” Hoshi scoffed. “Tennis doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

“You’re not the Ultimate Tennis Pro for nothing, Hoshi-kun,” Momota answered, taking one of the rackets for himself, passing one to his companion and bringing a third one to Hoshi. Hoshi started at it and took it hesitantly. “Don’t tell me you’ve lost your edge!”

Now that was a low blow. “I didn’t have much time to play in jail…”

“Then I’m sure Momota-kun could beat you easy peasy,” the other kid said, something like smugness hidden in their voice. It was a challenge to rile Hoshi up.

“Hah, as if. I might be rusty, but I could beat Mr. Pillar of the Community here with my eyes closed without breaking a sweat.”

“Prove it!” Momota challenged, giving the little man a thumbs up. “One game won’t kill you!”

“Not me, no. But it might kill you,” Hoshi’s lips twitched slightly when the astronaut’s face went a shade paler. “Fine. Let’s throw down. I don’t have anything else to do anyways. I’m surprised from the fact that you even want to play with me to begin with.”

“We were worried for you, man,” Momota scratched the back of his head. “I know you’re down about your video. I can’t say that I understand how you feel. You’re right, we all have someone on the outside…” Hoshi narrowed his gaze. Where was Momota going with this? “But that doesn’t mean you can’t make new bonds with others, right? You're haunted by your past so much that you’re unhealthily attached to it. You're drowning in all your regrets. It’s ruling your current life as it is, making you unhappy.”

“We’re a class, Hoshi-kun,” the other one added. “We’re in this together. We don’t want anyone else to die, you included. You’re our friend, and while you might not think so, we care for you.”

“We’re a family of sorts,” Momota continued. “So make us a reason worth living for, because we see you as a part of ours. So don’t go doing something reckless!”

Hoshi listened to us, mouth open, eyes wide. He snorted, pulling down his hat over his eyes. “…huh… Guess I still have a long ways to go…” He muttered. He pushed his hat back up and smiled, giving a thumbs up. “Alright, let’s play a game. Though don’t expect me to go easy on you two.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” Momota laughed, giving a thumbs up in return. Hoshi picked up the ball and remembered just how much he used loved tennis. Maybe playing a game of tennis would be healthy.

 

 _Mission accomplished,_ I thought to myself. As Momota and Hoshi went to play their game, I sneaked off for a second to Hoshi’s bathroom, which doubled as the Ultimate Prisoner’s lab.

“Time to be a little… dubious.”

I walked down the hall, knowing Oma would be running past me any seco- oh, speak of the devil. I waited for him to pass and stared at Tojo.

“Have you see Oma-kun?” the maid asked, finally reaching me. She was out of breath and disheveled.

“I think he ran past me, but you’re way too late,” I told her, shrugging. “What did he do anyways?”

Tojo composed herself and swept her hair back, straightening up. “He was acting suspicious, so I decided to confront him about it.”

“What else is new?” I laughed, and the corners of her mouth broadened the slightest bit in amusement. “I suppose you managed to escape Gokuhara-kun?”

“Indeed. He was quite ferocious in his search, but I managed to leave, due to having a lot of work to do.”

 _Yeah, planning murder_ is _quite a lot of work._ “You getting to use your lab to the fullest?”

“It is satisfactory, allowing me to take care of everyone’s needs,” she admitted.

“Hmm. I’m glad to see you’re happy about discovering your lab. Not everyone seems to be sharing your enthusiasm, though…”

Tojo interlinked her hands in front of her. “Are you referring to Hoshi-kun? He seems reluctant to use his lab. His talent is quite the thing, shame he doesn't wish to exercise it.”

“I almost understand his unwillingness to play tennis. He wants to leave that part of him behind. With the rest of his life, it seems…” I comment, peeking at her reaction from the corner of my eye. She doesn't reveal anything.

“…he doesn’t seem too keen on living,” she agreed.

“I’m sure after a while he will see that he’s valued by his classmates. We’re together in this, and everything. ”I turn to her. “And that includes you, of course. We’re all one class. We need to stick together, and not let the dread and despair get to us. If we do that, we can survive this. And while prolonged, a definitive survival is better than an uncertain one through murder, right?” I lean in close. “Some of us are willing to sacrifice ourselves for others, but it is that sacrifice that can cause them more harm than good.” Her eyes flash, slightly narrowing. I had caught her attention. I had done my part, it was her turn to do something.

“Also, could you have some hickory nuts delivered to my room later on? I always leave the door unlocked, so if you’d be so kind, I haven’t had them in a while.” I turned around and left to find Oma before he could cause any more chaos. God help me.

 

Tojo watched me leave, wearily walking back.

_Maybe it’s better when everyone sees the videos… Maybe they’ll understand? Maybe I shouldn’t do it at alls…_

Tojo knew that the people here were kind. They were good people. But… she was a servant before anything else. She couldn't let their platitudes get to her. Her country needed her. She couldn't let them down. They were depending on her to come through for them, through high snow, blizzard, hell or high waters. She couldn't let them down no matter what she had to do. She repeated this to herself, over and over again. Maybe if she did it long enough she would believe it.

Oma had worked quicker than I thought. He had gathered all of the videos and brought them to the Meet and Greet, only to realize the room was empty. Everyone had left before he could show them the videos. He was absolutely furious.

“I devise this genius plan, and then they all just up and leave!” he stopped his foot, biting on his nail in frustration.

“I came up with the plan. Didn’t you say you didn’t want to take credit?”

“I don’t know what you’re saying, so that means nothing to me,” he shot back, pointing a finger at me. “This is all your fault! You’ll take responsibility for this!”

“As if!” I answered. “If you try to blame this one me, they won’t believe you. You’re a liar. Besides, it’s not my fault that they decided to just up and leave! They probably just convinced Gonta-kun that you were lying.”

“I don’t care! You owe me now! And you bet I’ll be cashing that in when the time comes!” His demeanor went from angry to cocky. I sweatdropped. It was good that Oma didn't get to have his way, but this put me at an even greater disadvantage than before. But I couldn't let him do as he wanted. I had to show him I was a force to be reckoned with, because if I let him toy with me, I’ll fail in my mission.

I took out his tape and handed it to him. “It’s yours.”

He started at me blankly. He slowly took it and played it, seeing his name and title pop up. He closed it and put it next to the rest of the pads.

“I saw it,” I informed him. “From start to finish.”

His face went dark. I knew about his super-secret Evil organization, which meant I had leverage over him, just as he had over me. I could blow his cover just as he could mine, making us even. He knew that and I needed to make use of that perk as much as I could.

“I’ll help you out,” I offered. “But I’m not your minion. You can try and outsmart me, but I’m not going to lose. Not to you, not to the mastermind, not to Monokuma. I will complete my mission here and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop that.” As I walked off, Oma’s words made me stop.

“Funny, coming from a person whose motive was blank.” He could've been lying.

“I’ll make my own motive,” I answered. “What of the other videos?”

“I’ve already seen all of them,” he said back. “I’ll just return them or something.”

“Was it worth it?” I asked one last question.

He grinned at me with a malicious glint, sending a single shiver down my spine.

“Totally.”

“That’s quite interesting. Being the Prime Minister, that is. I knew you were good, but I didn't expect that at all.” Hoshi found it fitting for the Ultimate Maid to have a backstory like that. He wouldn't be surprised if everyone else – maybe even Oma – had a greater purpose to serve for others. “I’m glad you have something to fight for,” he admitted. Harukawa had been reluctant, but after some convincing and threatening she had given him his motive video. He shoulder known better when Oma was the one to tell him where to find it. It would've been better if he hadn't know.

“And you? You don’t anything to live for, correct?” Tojo was hoping for a positive answer. If it were so, she might even be able to kill him with his cooperation, making things a lot easier for her. She could keep struggle to a minimum.

“I thought that was the case,” the tennis pro walked to the corner of the court, rummaging through the box filled with tennis balls. “That I had nowhere else to go. A death row inmate; what could there possibly be for me? As it turns out, nothing. There’s nobody waiting for me out there.” He found what he was looking for. A steel ball. It reflected the room’s light, heavy in his hand. “I thought that my past would haunt me forever, keeping me back every waking moment. That I had to be the Ryoma Hoshi from the past, and not myself. However…” He turned to Tojo and walked back to her.

“I’ve recently realized… that there’s more to it than my past life. That I can move on from who I was… Seeing everyone here, filled with hope, striving to change things… it makes me hopeful too… That we will survive this, all of us. That even a man like me has hope, not even talking about you.”

Tojo wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not. “What do you mean?”

“You probably have a master out there, or someone who you serve, right? I’m sure you’d do anything for them… even murder. I know I have. But I regret it. And I don’t want anyone to experience that same regret. There is no good end to murderers.”

Something stirred inside Tojo. Memories of frolicking freely in gardens, being a happy, lively girl, with no possible imagination of serving someone else. She was aghast by this memory; was it a delusion, or something she failed to remember?

Hoshi admired his steel ball and threw it at Tojo. “You feel that? That’s the weight of regret,” he snorted and turned around.

Tojo’s instincts saw opportunity. Before she could even think, she mashed the ball against the back of Hoshi’s head. He fell limp to the ground almost immediately, back to her. As her senses came to her, she realized what she had done. She had actually attacked someone. Monokuma’s motive had worked on her. She had been played. Her face molded into an expression of severe regret. She had fallen for his trap, but it was too late now. She had to go through with her plan.

Hoshi was unconscious. He was still breathing, though. Tojo wondered for a second if this was the exact same point of view Shirogane must’ve had. She looked around and noticed the tennis net. Her plan was complete. They were off limits during nighttime, but thankfully, windows connected the gym, pool, and the tennis lab. She could make a ropeway across to the other side and put the body inside the piranha tank. She had spied Yonaga and Yumeno setting up, offering some help with preparations herself.

The last thing she had to do before going through with her plan was to actually kill Hoshi. She couldn’t just bash his head in, it would be too messy…

“Didn’t he have a shower room?” Tojo brought the body to the back room, which she hoped was a shower room. Inside, she found a sink. _Perfect_.

She brought the tennis pro to the sink and turned the valve. Oddly enough, while it moved, no water came out. Thinking it must’ve just been a little bit broken, Tojo kept turning the valve, until feeling something against her shoes. Looking down, she saw a puddle form. Someone had completely broken the pipes of the sink, making it impossible to use the sink. An unfortunate obstacle, but she could still drown him in the pool before he woke up. She looked around for something to tie the boy up with, but failed to see anything besides the rope of the tennis net. She didn’t think this plan through enough…

Tojo was slowly starting to sweat. Hoshi was still alive, and now her plan was compromised. But she could still get away with it if she were careful. Tojo tied the knot to the ropeway. It was now or never.

She had managed to get Hoshi to the other side. He was still unconscious, the trap laid ready. All she had to do was drown him. She took his head and pushed it underwater. He woke up with a start from the pain and suffocation. She pressed harder, but with his hands free, he was able to fight back. It was a struggle to keep him still; just a little more and her job would be done. Before she could do that, though, someone opened the gym door. She couldn’t finish drowning him, else she would be caught. The only thing she could do was leave the way she came from, but Hoshi-

She didn’t have time. The person was whistling, almost like they were trying to indicate how close they were. She knocked Hoshi against the back of the pool. He hit his head, and his struggles stopped. He lay in the water, face up, floating above. He wouldn’t be waking up any time soon. He was balancing perfectly behind the piranhas, his short stature hiding him from sight. His concussion would take care of any further struggles.

Before anyone could see her, she jumped out. She hoped to god that the magic show would happen early in the morning. It was already way past nighttime, work had taken up most of her day, not to mention planning and being held back by Oma. The piranhas would take care of the body.

Unbeknownst to her, the Ultimate Maid had executed a devious, yet sloppy job only possible by equally devious counter-planning. The whistler grinned in the darkness, staring at the floating, alive body of the Ultimate Tennis Pro.

* * *

I opened my eyes. I hadn’t bothered going to sleep, since I only sat down a couple hours earlier. If I didn’t get any sleep normally, I definitely wouldn’t get any after last night. I still had one thing to do before everything could start…

“You want us to do what now?” If Monotaro had a jaw, it would have dropped to the ground.

“You’ve got to be shiddin’ me! You fucking punk, who do you take us for, some sort of fucking slaves?!” Monokid cried in outrage.

“I consider you part of our captivating party,” I replied calmly. “It’s a simple request, and with your Exisals, it could easily be managed.”

“That’s true… it’s not that it’s hard, but… why should we do it?” Monophanie asked, tilting her head.

“It’s so we could… get a-long.” I knew those words would trigger a response.

“I-SEE-NOTHING-WRONG-WITH-THIS-REQUEST,” came Monodam’s response almost immediately. “IF-IT-WILL-HELP-EVERYONE-GET-ALONG, THEN-WE-SHOULD-HELP!”

“It might be fun. After all, a little music didn’t hurt anyone before!” his pink clad sister said.

“Eh, whatever. I don’t care either way,” Monosuke said, shrugging. “Let these bastards do what they want.”

With the Monokubs in rough agreement, I walked out of the casino. What they were about to do would inevitably ruin any chance of a murder happening, but as long as they didn’t know, it would be fine. Now, the magic show could begin!

“H-How…?” was Akamatsu’s first response. She, along with everyone else, had arrived in the gym after having a quick breakfast. I rubbed the surface of the golden piano and tapped it.

“Got the Monokubs to do me a solid,” I stood up from my seat behind the piano and gestured towards it for the pianist. “I thought a short concert wouldn’t kill anyone, so why not? Thought this one would be more suited for a concert than the one in your lab. No need to thank me.”

“T-Thank you! Oh, this is wonderful!”

“Hey, you get to do your show now! Gonratz!” Momota cheered.

“It has been a while since I last heard your play,” Saihara admitted.

“This magic show might turn out to be a good thing after all,” Amami laughed.

“Although it’s a shame that a few are missing out…” Tojo commented. Better point it out than become suspicious later.

“No matter! Atua thanks everyone attending from coming! I hope you’re all excited for the show! First, we will have Kaede-san play for us, and then…” she made quick motions with her hands, pointing to the tank behind her. “We will witness Atua’s magic first hand, delivered to us by Himiko-san!”

“Don’t call it _your_ God’s magic…” everyone unanimously ignored Chabashira, sitting down in the newly-placed chairs in the gym. I walked over to the gushing, hopping-in-place artist.

“Angie-san, good morning.”

“Ah, good morning! A beautiful day for a beautiful show, no?” she smiled at me, bright as the sun.

“Right. I hope the show goes well. Even if it doesn’t go according to script, as all good things rarely do, I hope a wonderful outcome is reached anyways.”

Yonaga clasped her hands together and laughed. “Atua tells me the show will be a huge success!”

“I’m sure he is very right,” I said, leaving her side.

Akamatsu sat down and cracked her fingers. Everyone had taken their places in front of the stage. The pre-concert for the magic show started. Nobody complained when _Claire de Lune_ started playing, least of all Saihara. Everyone was so taken in by the music, nobody noticed me leave.

Akamatsu’s hands pressed down on her keys with the precision and grace only a master could muster, not a single note gone to waste. Each note was perfect, in both rhythm and volume. It was hypnotizing and profoundly pleasant to the ear. Yumeno herself almost fell asleep. Once the blonde pianist was done, she received a loud chorus of applause.

It was finally time for the magic show.

“Ladies and everyone, please take a gander at center stage! It is time for the wonderful, the magical, the Amazing Yumeno!”

“Nyeh…” The Amazing Yumeno didn’t look all that motivated.

“A-Are you sure it’s safe?” Chabashira was sweating bullets, moving from side to side in worry.

“It is perfectly fine! Himiko is under Atua’s protection!” Yonaga’s assurance had little effect on Chabashira, who was nervously clutching the chair in front of her, shaking with her whole body. Amami found it quite difficult to sit normally, but being the chivalrous guy he was, no comments.

“Himiko-san will drop down into this tank,” Yonaga gestured to the lower tank, filled with water. “Angie shall then close the curtains and the timer will start. When the timer ends, piranhas will drop down into the tank below! It’s a simple as it sounds!”

Yumeno looked at her wearily, creating enough sweat to fill another tank with. She took a heavy breath and got into position.

“And go!”

Yumeno jumped into the water, Yonaga closing the curtains immediately after. I stood up, hoping I had cheated my cards correctly into a royal flush. The seconds passed, and the timer came to a stop.

The piranhas dropped down, along with something else. The curtains were opened, and amongst the piranhas floated the body of Ryoma Hoshi.

“W-What?!” Chabashira squeaked, putting up her hands in a defensive position.

“W-What is going on?!” Gokuhara joined her.

“Well now…” Shinguji managed.

Akamatsu and Iruma shrieked, Saihara and Amami let out shocked gasps.

I took the chair I had been sitting on and threw it at the tank. By now, the body would have already been devoured in front of everyone, confirming the murder. The problem, however, was that all of the piranhas floated in the water similarly to Hoshi, were dead.

The glass shattered, and the water spilled to the ground, bringing with it Hoshi’s body and the dead piranhas with it.

*Bing bong, ding dong*

“Attention everyone, we have an emergency!” Monokuma’s ever cheerful voice, swirling champagne in his paw. “A victim of bullying has been discovered! Everyone, please gather in the gym!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought of the chapter! If anyone is willing to beta, I'd be really happy to have your help!


	8. Leak

The tank broke into a million pieces, and everything washed over the floor. Hoshi lay in front of us, surrounded by dead fish. The announcement that had just rang put everyonein shock. Another victim? Who could have done this? And why?

The tennis pro’s body was blue all over, his skin swollen. Everyone was aghast to his state.

Momota pushed everyone out of his way, getting on his knees near Hoshi. Shifting around with his hands awkwardly, he looked where to start.

“What the fuck are you doing with his body?!” Iruma, ever tactful, yelled.

“I’m tryina’ give him CPR.”

“Are you sure you’re qualified for that?” Oma had entered the gym, Harukawa joining not far away either.

“Now’s not the time!”

“Step aside, please,” Tojo asked Momota, changing positions. She pressed on Hoshi’s chest, then pinched his nose and blew into his mouth. He had survived. The piranhas hadn’t killed him, and he hadn’t drowned. If he woke up, he could easily say what happened. Why was she trying to save him? She had no idea what pushed her to help him, but she was already doing it. It was too late to back out now.

“Ta-daa!” Yumeno appeared in front of everyone, startling them. They had completely forgotten about her and the magic trick. “I am alive!” she exclaimed happily, but dropped when she saw everyone’s faces. “Nyeh? Why is everyone looking so weird?”

“U-Uh, Yumeno-san, don’t look now, but…” Chabashira vaguely pointed behind the magician, who turned around and saw Tojo giving CPR to Hoshi.

“…nyeh?”

 “Well, well, well, look who wanted to sleep with the fishes!” Monokuma swaggered from behind the tank, sound cheerful as ever, even despite there not being a death, according to him. There might’ve even been some excitement in his voice. “Man, I’ve been waiting for this the whole night, about time you shits decided to open the curtains.”

“You were waiting for this?” Amami asked, crossing his arms.

“Oh, heeeeey!” Monokuma dragged out, going over the bandaged boy. “It’s Mr. I’ll-stop-the-killing-game. Big fan, lemme tell ya, so glad you could finally join us in the actual show. What a wonderful return appearance!”

“’Return’? So he _was_ in another killing game before?” Akamatsu asked.

“To answer yer question, I was waiting for someone to find poor midget here for a while. Anyways, you know the deal by now, gang. Search the area, find some clues, pass the trial and hope Rommy doesn’t die in the meanwhile.”

“You sound rather impatient. Are you disappointed that there was no death?” Shinguji questioned the bear.

“You guys have no idea how _boring_ it is. Just waiting and waiting every time, knowing a murder- I mean, _attack_ will happen eventually and then you kids being all mopey dopey again.”

“ _Rise and shine, Ursine~_!” Again, only Amami was lightly startled by the sudden appearance of the Monokubs.

“Father’s been at it so long that he’s pretty sick of listening to everyone talk about hope and stuff, only for everyone to die later on,” Monotaro yawned.

“Kids these days think they’re such hot shit!” Monokid spat. “What garbage.”

“While having hope is nice sometimes, it does get boring and annoying after a while…” Monophanie admitted.

“So that’s that. Yer all annoying little bastards, so will you just get to it already?” Monosuke finished for Monodam, who was standing a meter away from everyone else.

“Even my kids already get it, and they’ve just been born. They grow up so fast, don’t they?” Monokuma sighed in satisfaction.

“How is Hoshi-kun?” Akamatsu asked Tojo.

Pushing on his chest again and against, the boy finally spat out a lot of water. It ran down his shirt and body, only for him to slump back to the ground, motionless, but breathing.

The maid looked at the pianist and back at the tennis player. She wasn’t sure what she felt when she said: “He has suffered injuries to his head, outside of nearly drowning. He will more than likely survive, though I am unsure of his condition afterwards.” Everyone was reminded of when they had found Amami. Battered and bleeding, unsure if he would ever wake up again.

“Eh, see? Things could’ve been a lot worse!” Monokuma laughed. “He’s still alive. For now, anyways…”

“For now? What’s that mean, you ugly bear?” Chabashira accused, positioned defensively in front of Yumeno, who was trying to see through the aikido master.

“I’ll let my kids explain it. I’m bored,” Monokuma said simply, walking off, hands in proverbial pockets. He really did seem and sound bored, despite being so cheerful a second ago. Like he didn’t want anything to do with the attack any more than he had to. His usual despair speech was gone as well.

“W-What? Uh…” Monotaro was lost at the sudden shift of responsibilities. None of the Monokubs really knew what to do. Monodam suddenly stepped forward. Everyone stared at him for a while, and then he snapped his fingers. Everyone’s phones buzzed.

_#17: If a victim of bullying dies throughout the subsequent investigation or trial, punishment will be issued._

“Woah, where’d you learn that from?” Monotaro asked, impressed.

Monodam said nothing, simply stepped back quietly. The rest of his siblings just shrugged.

“Anywhose, you heard pops. Get to work on figurin’ out who tried to off yer bastard classmate,” Monosuke shook his head and the siblings formed a group.

“ _So long, bear well~_!” After the smoke was cleared, they were gone.

“Hoshi-kun…” Kiibo’s fingers clenched into a fist.

“He went to jail, so at least he didn’t die a virgin!” Iruma cackled to herself, earning a few looks of disproval.

“Poor Hoshi-chan. Never got to see his video,” Oma mocked. “Or did he? Maybe that’s what got him targeted.”

“It seems we will have to investigate,” Saihara sighed. This is why Saihara didn’t like his talent. It was expected of him to always reveal the truth. It had nearly proved to be fatal during the last trial with Akamatsu, what else could go wrong?

“First Amami-kun… now Hoshi-kun too? Why must friends hurt each other…” Gokuhara muttered to himself sadly.

“So much for staying together,” Harukawa scoffed.

“Hey, at least nobody died, alright? We can solve this mystery easy peasy if we put our minds together,” Momota slammed his fists into the other.

“Right, because if one idiot isn’t enough, try a dozen,” Oma moved to the door. “Got called over for this?! Shirogane-chan made the right decision by staying away.”

“I’m done as well. I doubt I’d have anything to say,” Harukawa hurried up to the door, trying not to let Oma out of her sight. She also didn’t want to stay in the same room as Hoshi’s body, but that was a more trivial matter.

“Great. Now we’re short three people…” Momota sighed.

“T-That’s fine!” Akamatsu assured. “We can still find out what happened. Right, Saihara-kun?”

“Right,” the capped boy answered, though he wasn’t sure if he was really as motived as he tried to sound. He ran a hand across his hat, now sitting on his head again. Amami’s possible death was a rush of adrenaline, putting his expertise to use. But the second time around, it was starting to get eerie. How many more would get attacked in a similar manner, so that their lives would be put into danger?

“Alright then, let’s get to work,” without a single shred of hesitation, Akamatsu moved to the broken tank and started looking around. She had none of the worries of Saihara, instead compelled to find out who had almost committed murder.

“We should start with how the underwater trick was perform-“

“It wasn’t a trick. It was magic!” Yumeno pulled on her hat.

“Yumeno-san, to figure out how the attack was committed, we need your help,” Kiibo tried. “Please, tell us how you did it.”

“ _You_ wouldn’t understand anyways. You’re a machine, you have no magic,” she answered with brutal honesty, making Kiibo choke on his words and slump down.

“Will you cut that out already? This is serious!” Momota raised his voice, making Chabashira leap into action.

“If Yumeno-san says it was magic, then it was magic!” she took the magician’s side.

“Magic or not, her performance was used to nearly kill one of out classmates. What’s to say it couldn’t have been her instead of Hoshi-kun?” I knew it was a bold and silly bluff, but I knew it would work flawlessly on the feminist.

“W-What?!” Chabashira cowered at the thought.

“To understand the attack, we need to understand the escape act. The sooner we find out how it was done, the safer we all are.”

Chabashira fumbled with her fingers, thinking what to do. Yumeno slinked off, making the aikido master run after her. “Yumeno-san, please wait! This could be important!”

Momota shrugged and turned to Akamatsu and Saihara. “Alright, my sidekicks, let’s solve this mystery!”

“Sidekicks?” Akmatsu ridiculed a bit more harshly than she intended. “If anything, _you’re_ the sidekick.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Momota grinned. “You may be our leader, but you’re also my sidekick. You too, Shuichi. We’re partners now, right? We can get over any obstacle that comes upon us!”

“While I have no quarrels with motivational pep talks,” Shinguji creeped up to the group. “We really should be starting investigations.”

As everyone started the investigation, I moved away. They would find all the necessary evidence themselves.

“Oh, hey, hold on a second!” Amami called me back. I turned around and looked at him questioningly.

“What’s up?”

“I was looking over the tank,” he said. “Rather, the glass shards and the dead piranhas. And I found these.” He held up a couple of nut husks, chunked and wet. “Weird to find this at a crime scene. Do you know anything about this?“

I shrugged. “Ask Saihara. He’s the detective. I’m simply an onlooker.”

* * *

 

I walked to Shirogane’s door.

“I bet you heard the announcement. Hoshi-kun was attacked. Are you going to attend the trial?”

I was fully expecting silence, but after waiting a while, I heard Shirogane open the door slightly.

“I’ll have to. Monokuma won’t let me _not_ attend.”

I nodded. “Alright. Make sure to prepare yourself.”

She tried hiding a sigh. I furrowed my eyebrows. “You’re worrying about how the others might take your presence?”

She nodded. She didn’t look sad. Maybe a little penitent, but more like inconvenienced. “I know they still hate me for what I did.”

“They have bigger problems than you right now. We need to find out who attacked Hoshi-kun, not squabble over your actions. Besides,” I shrugged. “I’m sure you’ve dealt with worse.”

I left her door, making my way to the trial room. I didn’t look back at her, but I was sure she had dropped her pitiful façade for a more indifferent one. She might be slowly starting to regret her choices, but she was still the mastermind. I couldn’t let her use us again.

 

Momota accompanied Saihara and Akamatsu on investigating the gym and collecting alibis from their peers. Eventually, when Monokuma called the investigation to a close, they moved to the trial grounds, uncertain as ever and culprit unknown. It was time for a trial.

* * *

 

**\- - Court is now in session: ALL RISE! - -**

The elevator descended into the trial grounds, letting us in. As we took our places, I was surprised to notice that Shinguji looked particularly uninterested in Shirogane standing next to him, and Amami wasn’t reaction to her presence either. Actually, it was rather surreal to see Amami at the stand at all. He hadn’t participated in a single class trial at all in the first loop, but he didn’t look as confused or lost as we had when we first arrived. Guess that survivor talent wasn’t for nothing.

In place of Hoshi-kun, there was a portrait of him with the same ' _Z'_ s as Amami’s had, just with a text underneath.

_“Sleeping with the fishes.”_

 

Even if nobody died, Monokuma was dead set at having the most fun he could.

“Who will take care of Hoshi-kun during the trial?” was the first question that Akamatsu asked.

Monokuma tapped his foot irritably and sighed. “I’m not going to leave _any_ of you out. Harukawa was an exception, I am definitely not making babysitting into a rule.”

“Then how can we be certain that Hoshi-kun won’t die while we’re gone?” Harukawa asked.

“You’ll just have to hope. Anyways, let’s get to the trial already!

“Ahem,” Monokuma cleared his throat. “During a class trial, you will all be subjugated to a debate on ‘whodun-“

“I think Yumeno-chan did it!” Oma announced.

_“Nyeh?!”_

“Why are you going after Yumeno-san immediately?!” Chabashira yelled back, glaring daggers at the boy.

“Let’s not be dumb here. Hoshi-chan’s body just _happened_ to jump into the tank during her magic show? The only reason it didn’t work was because she botched her trick. That’s why she’s a magician and not a mage; because she’s s _o bad_ at her job!” he snickered, putting a hand near his mouth, like he was gossiping or whispering a secret.

 

* * *

 

“Yup, she is pretty suspish!” Yonaga cheerily announced.

“What?!” Chabashira was in outrage. “How could you say that! You’re her friend!”

Yonaga copied Yumeno’s earlier head-tilt, now being the one who didn’t understand the foreign language, Atua not translating. “So? She still could have done it! Atua is telling Angie she is the most suspicious!” Yonaga wasn’t concerned with whose and whats. She would only believe in what her god told her, and his finger was pointed at Yumeno. Friend or not, if it was Atua’s word, how could it _possibly, in any acceptable and logical way_ be appropriate for her to ignore it? Like, it was so not divine.

 

* * *

 

“You are basing your claim off that it was her magic show, correct?” Shinguji’s eyes were hidden. He wasn’t surprised to find out the artist fingering her so-called ‘friend’, but he couldn’t simply be satisfied with the reason that this was another simple whim of her ‘God’.

“Yup!”

“Then what exempts you from the same? While not as much as her, you were still involved in the show a great deal.” The artist was so keen on indicting the other girl, it was odd to Shinguji why Yonaga was being so persistent. Was this a simple plot of someone throwing another under the bus?

“Okay, but, like, Angie didn’t do it!” the artist explained it like it was common knowledge, not understanding the anthropologist’s disbelief. “Angie had no reason, and Atua definitely didn’t tell her to! So that’s why it couldn’t have been her!”

“Do you expect us to believe that?” To say that the boy was disappointment would be the understatement of the killing game.

 

* * *

 

“While there are a few discrepancies, Yumeno-san does hold the most possible position of culprit,” Tojo tried explaining to the aikido performer. Hoshi was still alive, and while that created a small problem, nobody was with him. That meant nobody could listen to his testimony, not before the trial ended. That was all she needed. It would be no easy task, undermining her classmates, but it was a task she had to complete, against all opposition. “It was during her trick that Hoshi-kun interrupted the show.”

“Don’t just stand there,” Momota furrowed his eyebrows. “Say something! Defend yourself!”

“It’s not a trick!” Yumeno pointed accusingly. “It’s magic!”

 

* * *

 

Momota facepalmed.

“Nobody but you believe that, so stop saying it,” Harukawa scoffed. She found Yumeno annoying. All she ever did was talk about her stupid magic. She couldn’t care less if Yumeno did it. Actually, she couldn’t care who did it, period. She just wanted to find out who it was, so she wouldn’t have to die for their idiocy.

“I believe you, Yumeno-san!” Chabashira beamed at the magician. Harukawa clicked her tongue. No, annoying was too strong. More like mildly bothersome. Who was really annoying was Chabashira. Her constant blabber about hating men and her constant sucking-up to Yumeno were more annoying than Momota, and that was already a high enough bar.

“If you don’t tell us how you did it, we’re just going to vote for you,” was the child caregiver’s ultimatum.

 

* * *

 

“While I understand the suspicion,” Akamatsu reeled the conversation back on track. “There are many things that don’t add up. I think we need to go over the trick itself, and then work from there.”

“First, Yumeno-san jumped into the tank below,” Momota retold.

“Then, Yonaga-san drew the curtains,” Amami continued.

“She had her 60 seconds to get out,” Oma said. “Before the dead piranhas fell on her, threatening to **eat her alive**!”

“The circle of life,” Iruma snorted.

“That’s actually something that I’ve been wondering,” Saihara rubbed his chin. “The piranhas were supposed to be **alive** , right?”

“Well, duh!” Yonaga grinned. “How else was Himiko supposed to get eaten?”

“Then why were they dead, shitstick? Your magic show was a complete bust!” Iruma voiced. Iruma was salty because she’s a die-hard fan of everything childish. That includes amusement parks and magic shows. With unicorn merry-go rounds that have dildos instead of horns. _Very_ weird amusement parks and magic shows.

“When Angie checked, the fish were still alive!” Yonaga explained. “But then, they were dead! Like a flash!”

“When did you check?” Saihara asked.

“Don’t know!” the artist cheerily replied.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Akamatsu tried in turn.

“Angie was like, super busy. Angie thinks it was this morning when she checked the tank? Angie means, it was pretty far up, and there were a lot of fish.”

“…but what you’re saying is, the fish were supposed to drop alive?”

“Yup. When the time was up, they were supposed to drop into the tank,” Yumeno confirmed.

“Then I think that’s already the first clue as to why it couldn’t be Yumeno-san!” Akamatsu exclaimed.

“Already?” Gokuhara was in wonder.

“If I understand this correctly,” Kiibo’s ahoge hunched. “The reason is that Yumeno-san, she needed the piranhas alive, both for the murder and the show. But I don’t see how that clears her of suspicion.”

“It’s simple. If it was Yumeno-san alone, then someone messed with the tank. Someone who wasn’t Yonaga-san, nor Yumeno-san,” Akamatsu explained. “Someone else had a reason to tamper with the scene, and other than those two, nobody had any reason to. Someone who knew of the murder plot killed the fish, but they weren’t the culprit. Someone messed with their plans.”

“Like you messed with the cameras?” Oma asked innocently.

“My point is, if it was Yumeno-san,” Akamatsu continued, forcing down the need to react. “Then the plan would have gone off perfectly. But why didn’t it?”

“To answer that, I think we need to find out how they died firstly,” Saihara thought. “Anyone have any suggestions?”

“Fish can’t suffocate, right?” Momota joked.

“It is possible, if the water is stagnant or has poor quality. If the water has too little oxygen, the fish won’t be able to extract anything from it, making them asphyxiate. However, I doubt that was the cause for their untimely death. Probability says 7.78293744%,” Kiibo informed.

Slack-jawed, Momota didn’t know how to answer.

“Instead of that, why don’t we think on Hoshi-kun’s condition? Maybe that will give us some clues,” I offered, the rest agreeing.

 

\- -  **Non-Stop Debate: START!**  - -

 

“When Himiko’s timer ran out,” Yonaga started. “Ryoma’s body fell into the tank below, along with the **piranhas**!”

“The piranhas would have made quick work of him before us, but they were in no condition to do anything,” Shinguji commented.

“Once I saw Hoshi-kun’s body,” I explained. “I threw my **chair** at it, breaking the glass.”

“It was all gushing out, like a teen not able to keep his load!” Iruma hugged herself, getting off to dirty thoughts.

Momota crossed his arms. “I tried to perform CPR, but it didn’t work.”

“Thankfully, I was able to take over, **letting out all the water** from inside his lungs,” Tojo added to it.

“After that, Monokuma and his ugly children appeared! Yumeno-san’s show was ruined!” Chabashira complained.

“That’s it!” Akamatsu yelled, catching everyone off guard.

“Do you also think they’re ugly, Akamatsu-san?” Chabashira’s smile widened.

“No, not that,” Akamatsu ignored Chabashira’s fallen face. “But the water. Hoshi-kun had a lot of water in his lungs, right?” she asked Tojo.

“Indeed. It is a surprise he hadn’t died from drowning, much less the possible threat of the piranhas.”

“Actually, it is possible to survive even after 24 hours of someone near-drowning, if the correct method is applied, even if the person has been under water for a long time. So it’s all thanks to you that he survived, Tojo-san!” Kiibo's eyes shined appreciatively.

 _Wonderful,_ Tojo sarcastically thought to herself. “I am glad to have been of help,” she smiled on the surface.

“Even still, it meant that he had to have been there for a long time, right? Yumeno-san **60 seconds** to escape the tank, so Hoshi-kun would have been there from much earlier on!” Akamatsu concluded.

“Since the morning announcement?” Momota wondered. “But where the hell would he have been? The tank was empty when we saw in in the morning.”

“There aren’t that many places a body would go unnoticed,” Amami scratched his head. “Where was Hoshi-kun when we came into the gym?”

Iruma looked down at the magician with scrutiny. “The bitch could have hidden it! I bet she has all sorts of weird shit up her sleeves!”

“I don’t need anything up my sleeves, because it’s all magic!” nobody acknowledged Yumeno’s insistence.

“We need to know how her trick works,” Momota nodded his head.

“It’s not a trick, it’s mag-“

“There was a hatch connected to the inside of the staircase next to the tank in the gym,” Oma explained offhandedly.

Chabashira gasped. “How ungraceful!”

“Me and Saihara-chan checked out her lab during the investigation!”

Whatever objection Yumeno had, it died in her throat with her magic.

“That’s where she hid the body! Jackpot, I’m calling it now!” the inventor announced.

“Even with the space it had, it would be barely narrow enough to fit Yumeno-san in it, much less both her and Hoshi-kun,” Shinguji reasoned.

“It wasn’t actual magic,” Harukawa affirmed again, digging the dagger deeper into Yumeno. “There had to be someplace where the body was stored.”

“Actually, Gonta think he saw something on stage,” the giant suddenly said.

“You saw something on the stage?” Akamatsu parroted.

“More like, from stage. When Gonta on stage, he see fish drop down. But so many fish. Too many fish…” he tried explaining. “Something else with fish.”

“…like Hoshi-kun?” Saihara caught on.

“Hoshi-kun was with the piranhas in the same tank? That would make sense, if the fish were dead,” Akamatasu thought. “However, that doesn’t explain why we didn’t see him.”

“I think the piranhas were used to hide the body,” Amami hypothesized. “Remember that **glass panel** we found?”

“Yeah,” Saihara and Akamatsu answered at the same time. They realized this and looked away, blushing.

The corners of Amami’s mouth stretched up. “If the glass panel was used as a sort of divider between the fish and the body…”

“It would have hidden it from sight,” Shinguji finished. “Effectively keeping the body hidden and piranhas without breakfast, if they were alive at the time.”

“Details, details!” Oma waved off. “This doesn’t prove that Yumeno-chan didn’t do it, so she’s still the main suspect!”

“She could have totally set up that while I wasn’t looking!” Yonaga helped out.

“Why are you guys so insistent on framing Yumeno-san?” Chabashira demanded.

“Because what if she did do it?” Yonaga’s voice turned dark. “What if she really is the culprit, and you’re defending her for nothing. All our lives are at stake, and it would be such a shame for Atua to lose so many followers over a stupid mistake, no?”

“It’s not stupid!” the aikido master yelled. “I don’t care what you say; there’s no way Yumeno-san could have done it! I believe in her no matter what, so don’t you dare accuse her without proof!"

 

* * *

 

Saihara was a little impressed by Chabashira’s devotion, even if it was borderline creepy stalker-ish. She believed in her friend, even when everyone else was turned against her. He remembered believing in Akamatsu at the earlier trial, sure of her innocence. It was so close for his belief to be shattered, but thankfully, his steadfast belief proved to be correct. He had been right in his own theory, and maybe Chabashira was right in hers? Their situations were similar; their only friend was being accused of murder, with evidence stacked up against them.

While Saihara was pondering over platitudes, Akamatsu was worried about who killed the fish. There needed to be something she was missing.

“I think it’s important to consider when Hoshi-kun was placed into the tank,” she finally said. “If we figure that out, it might narrow down the list of suspects.”

“One person isn’t a list, though,” Oma answered confusedly.

“Well, with how much water was in his lungs, he might’ve even been there since yesterday. Now that I think about it, it’s the only time it could’ve happened,” Momota thought out loud.

 

“Then we should figure out who saw Hoshi-kun last,” Amami declared.

“I think that was us,” Momota pointed at himself and me. “We played a game of tennis with Hoshi-kun, after which we left.”

“We can account for each other, so it wasn’t either of us,” I confirmed.

“When was that, exactly?” Tojo asked. If they had seen Hoshi last, it might cause a bit of a problem.

“Around the time when Gokuhara-kun was kidnapping people.” I had made sure to ask Momota to accompany me right before the kidnappings started. It meant both of us had alibis for that time, more or less.

“Our prime suspects should be those who weren’t present at Gokuhara-kun’s… enthusiastic abduction party,” Shinguji rationalized.

“Gonta is sorry…”

“That would be Hoshi-kun, Yonaga-san, Yumeno-san, Iruma-san, Harukawa-san and myself,” Amami listed on his fingers.

“Tojo-san was missing the Meet and Greet as well, right?” Akamatsu asked. The maid furrowed her eyebrows.

“Indeed. Yonaga-san, Yumeno-san and I were all left to work on the preparations for the magic show.”

“Yeah, yeah! Himiko and Angie and Kirumi were all there! Well, until Himiko and Angie left, that is!”

Akamatsu narrowed her eyes. “Only you two left?”

“Yeah! Gonta still got the both of us, so we were gone for a little while!”

 

* * *

 

 

“It’s, like, so lucky that you have fish in your lab room and all this other cool stuff!” the artist said in amazement, setting up the tank.

“Indeed,” Tojo agreed. “It is quite interesting how thorough our labs have been created. I can’t fathom the purpose.”

“Nyeh… I guess, but there’s a lot of useless stuff meant for tricks.”

Both of the other girls looked at each other, wondering why she was so disappointed at that.

“I wished there were some real magic items there.”

“Atua says not to worry! Even if the items themselves are not magical, Himiko can always make them magical!” the artist cheered on.

“…really?” Yumeno asked.

Yonaga nodded her head furiously. “Mhmm, mhmm. With Atua’s gift, Yumeno-san can do anything-“

Her motivational speech was interrupted by the gym door suddenly swinging open, revealing the massive, threatening Gonta Gokuhara.

“Friends, I have come to show you the wonder of bugs!”

_“Nyeh?”_

_“But Angie already knows bugs are wonderful, they are Atua’s wonderful creatures!"_

Or at least they would have siad that, if there had been any time for them to react. Gokuhara had swooped both of them on his shoulders without any resistance. When he went to Tojo, his feet stopped. The other two girls were faced away, so they couldn’t see, but what Gokuhara witnessed was truly frightening.

“Gokuhara-kun... Do not.”

Her eyes were shooting daggers, metaphorically - though the feeling sure wasn't metaphorical - piercing his skin and tearing it to pieces, her intimidating aura growing, enveloping and drowning Gokuhara.

 

* * *

 

“Aaaand after that, Gonta ran away with us!” Yonaga concluded. “We were able to tell him to put us down, though, since we were on a mission from God to put on a magic show!”

“Looks like there’s a lot we need to cover,” Saihara sighed. Akamatsu was entitled to agree with him.

 

\- -  **Mass Panic Debate: START!**  - -

 

“You shits think it’s me _again_? I told you, I have an **_a-li-bi_**!” Iruma defended.

”I’m in the clear, so it couldn’t be me,” Momota crossed his arms.

“I decided to help the two **girls** in setting up their show,” Tojo explained.

“Your ‘womanly magic’ is almost as bullshit as Yumeno-chan’s!” Oma mocked.

”I was in my lab for the whole day. I saw nobody,” Harukawa rolled her eyes.

”I was with Yonaga-san and Yumeno-san for the majority of the time.”

“B-But it worked, didn’t it?” the inventor flustered.

” **I retired early** for the night,” Amami told.

”They can confirm that.”

“Unlike **donkey lips** over there, my master plan went off without a hitch!”

“I felt rather tired,” he justified.

”After leaving the gym, I **ran into Oma-kun**.”

“G-Gonta become very red in the face. Could not go near Iruma-san…”

”So I guess I am suspicious after all, huh?”

“Everything I said can be confirmed by someone.”

“Oma-kun, is this true?” Akamatsu asked the liar.

“Hmm…” he rubbed his chin, contemplating. “Maybe. I don’t know, it was rather late and I was very tired from running around, gathering everyone’s videos…”

“Tojo-san ran into me,” I interrupted. “Moments before, I had witnessed Oma-kun run past, so I think it’s safe to say that they were together for some time.”

“Indeed, it is so. I was questioning Oma-kun on his suspicious behavior, but he fled from me,” the maid backed me up, only solidifying her alibi for the timeframe before nighttime. It was risky doing that, but all I had to worry about was proving her guilt after the night announcement.

“But even then, what’s odd is that if Tojo-san was at the gym before nighttime, then that means there wasn’t any chance for someone to sneak in and hide the body,” Saihara explained.

Everything was at a dead end. The gym was locked during nighttime, it was guarded before that and after as well. From the time when Hoshi was last seen and to the finding of his body, there was no way for someone to attack and hide him in the tank.

 

* * *

 

“What’re you saying, Shuichi? Does this mean the body was placed in the morning after all?” Momota asked.

“Nope! Don’t you remember?” Yonaga whined. “Himiko and Angie were in front of the doors! Nobody could have gotten in.”

“Nobody could have snuck past you?” Shinguji interrogated.

“There would have been no way we coulda missed them,” Yumeno confirmed again.

Tojo sighed in relief. If this kept going, it meant they would be going in circles, being forced into voting, with her having a solid alibi for when everyone thought the murder took place.

“W-What if…” a voice suddenly rang out. Everyone’s heads snapped at Shirogane, the first time she had talked throughout the whole trial. Some had even forgotten what she sounded like. “What if Hoshi-kun was placed into the tank during **nighttime**?”

Iruma immediately blew it off. “What? That’s bullshit, the gym was locked! You think you can trick us with a con as shit as that? We haven’t hear your alibi either. You’re more suspicious than anyone else! I’m fucking voting the virgin four-eyes!”

“Actually, wouldn’t you know who committed the murder?” Shinguji asked.

“Uh, no, I don’t have any of the mastermind’s perks anymore,” she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I don’t actually know who ki- _attacked_ Hoshi-kun.”

“Then what good are you anyways?” Iruma scoffed.

“…maybe she has a point,” Saihara wondered.

Akamatsu was surprised by what he said. “What do you mean?”

“What if the body _was_ placed in the tank at nighttime.”

“And how would they get into the gym at nighttime?” Oma rubbed his fingers.

“Hmm. There _were_ those **windows** …” Momota said.

“Windows?” Akamatsu asked. “You think the body was brought into he gym through the windows?”

“Yeah, maybe,” he scratched the back of his head. “I mean, maybe he was thrown in or something.”

“Unlikely,” Shinguji countered. “Not only would Gokuhara-kun be the only one capable of that…”

“Gonta not do it!”

“It would also most definitely break the glass panel, if it even hit the tank at all. This is of course going with the preposition that the tank was placed a long time before the attack.”

“I’m still suspicious about Harukawa!” Oma randomly yelled out.

“What do you mean ‘still’?” the caregiver furrowed her eyebrows. “You were just accusing Yumeno-san.”

“Weren’t you in your lab all the time?” the boy gazed at his nails. “Nobody saw you and you saw nobody, which makes you the perfect culprit! Unless…” he pointed at Shirogane who barely flinched. “It was the mastermind!”

“Former,” she said without skipping a beat.

“You were also in your own room the whole time, right? What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I was also in my room,” Amami countered for her. He crossed his arms and looked at Oma. “Why aren’t you suspecting me?”

“Oh, please! You were the first to get attacked for trying to end the game. Fat chance it’s you!” Oma giggled. “If I was you, I’d be more worried about your neighbor trying to kill you again than defending her!”

Amami couldn’t argue with that. She didn’t have an alibi, and the rest were entitled to suspect her.

“A-Actually, Shirogane-san was with us last night!” Akamatsu suddenly blurted out. Everyone looked at her weirdly, Shirogane most of all. “Momota-kun, Saihara-kun and I were training last night, so we decided to invite Shirogane-san… and Amami-kun as well.”

The latter two looked at each other and Amami shrugged. “I declined, though, since I was too sick to do anything.”

Saihara looked at Akamatsu, wondering what she was trying to do. It was obvious Shirogane didn’t train with them, but why did Akamatsu give her an alibi? The pianist looked at the raven-haired boy with a pained expression, and he decided to trust her.

“…It’s true. Amami-kun declined, but Shirogane-san joined us.”

“T-That’s right!” Momota confirmed. “We dragged her out of her room to a late-night push-up competition!”

This granted several skeptic looks from the others.

“You called her to train, despite the fact that she was the mastermind and tried to frame you, Akamatsu-san?” Shinguji raised an eyebrow.

“What a load of shit!” Iruma declared. “Ain’t no way that’s true!”

Akamatsu was expecting criticism and disbelief, but what Yumeno said next was baffling to her.

“Akamatsu-san has deceived us before… But why would Saihara-kun lie?”

The blonde’s eyes twitched.

“Yeah, that’s true!” Chabashira gave her opinion as well. “He is a detective trying to solve a case, lying would just be counter-intuitive!”

“We already know Akamatsu-chan is the least trustworthy out of all of us,” ironic for Oma to say that. “But if Saihara-chan started lying, then we would really be in it deep!”

Some looked at Shirogane to refute the point. She just shrugged. “I’ve got nothing to add.”

“So Shirogane-san and I have an alibi…” Amami pushed the topic forward. “That leaves Harukawa-san, right?”

Momota was shocked. “Wait, why are _you_ suspecting her?”

“I’m not suspecting…” Amami sighed. “Just relaying what Oma wants to imply.”

 

* * *

 

Harukawa stared quietly, thinking over what to say. She didn’t want to reveal having talked to Hoshi, but Oma had backed her into a corner. She had no choice, unless they want to accuse her.

“…I saw Hoshi-kun last,” she finally admitted. It might’ve been a bad idea, but it was worth a shot. “He came to my lab at nighttime.”

“Why didn’t you say so before?” Yonaga asked happily. “It could have saved us a lot of time!”

“It’s because it’s a fat, bald faced **lie**!” Oma laughed. “She’s so desperate she had to lie to get out! How shameful!”

“I believe her.” Oma’s giggling was stopped by Momota. Harukawa looked at him with wide eyes.

Momota was an idiot, without a doubt. She naturally understood why she should be suspected, but for Momota to just take her at face value, even if what she said could’ve been a total lie with no backed-up proof?

“No way. I was mostly just joking that you only have two brain cells, but you don’t even have that many, do you?” Oma wasn’t smiling anymore. In fact, his face had completely fallen.

“An Atua-damned idiot he is!” Yonaga cheered.

“…yeah, he is pretty dumb. Dumber than the robot, anyways…” Yumeno groggily commented.

“I am not dumb! I am a learning AI, so my intelligence is actually quite-“

“I can’t tell the difference between your mouth and your ass,” Iruma interrupted, sticking out her tongue at Momota. “Because shit comes flooding out of both of ‘em!”

“I’m not an idiot!” Momota defended. “I just believe in her. It’s just like with Chabashira-san.”

“What did you say?” the girl in question went on the defensive, wondering if a degenerate male dared insult her.

“I mean, you trust Yumeno-san above all else, right?” Momota asked. Chabashira came out of her stance and looked at him questioningly.

“…of course.”

“It’s the same with me; I trust Harumaki just as you trust Yumeno-san. I don’t think there’s a single way either of them could have committed the crime. Call it a hunch!” He gave them a thumbs up, grinning ear to ear. Chabashira was taken aback by his sudden support, but understood. She couldn’t believe it, but she actually understood how he felt, and he understood her. It was an unlikely connection, one she wasn’t ready to admit to, but she acknowledged it none the less.

On the other side of the courtroom, Harukawa couldn’t be more shocked. He wasn’t an idiot.

He was an imbecile.

Harukawa was glad if she didn't have to die. She would go as far as to claim to be “happy”, whatever that emotion was.

But ‘a hunch’? How could the man claim something like that with no proof? Harukawa thought bitterly that Oma was right about _something_ , at least.

 

* * *

 

“If that’s true, then it means everyone’s alibi is mute,” Amami stated. “Everyone is a suspect.”

Tojo couldn’t have that. “But this means that Hoshi-kun was alive after the announcement, after the gym was locked. It would’ve been impossible for his body to have made it to the tank!”

“Why did he come to you specifically, though?” Akamatsu wondered. Harukawa didn’t answer.

“Harukawa-san, this is important, please tell us! It could very well help us solve this case and clear your name!” For the second time that trial, Akamatsu was honestly shocked over something Saihara had done. Harukawa actually answered.

“He wanted his video. He had mine and wanted to exchange videos, so we did.”

“Did you watch his video?” Kiibo asked.

“No, I didn’t care. I didn’t watch mine either.”

“But that still doesn’t clear up how he got into the gym,” Tojo reminded.

“I think we should concentrate where Hoshi-kun was attacked,” Amami suggested.

“Didn’t you say that he stayed in his lab, Momota-kun?” Akamatsu recalled.

“Yeah, but that was before he went to talk with Harumaki.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“If I remember correctly,” Saihara tried remembering. “There were scrape marks on the window sill, and the sink in his lab shower room was broken. Maybe that’s where it happened? You can even see the gym from the window!”

“But what are the scrape marks? It seems like an odd place,” Akamatsu rubbed her temples. They were going in circles. There were so many details that didn’t connect. Would they not be able to figure out this crime? “And the **inner tube** at the pool as well…”

“Wait! Gonta have idea!” the giant suddenly proclaimed. “Gonta think he knows how Hoshi-kun was placed in tank!”

“Huh? Really? _You_ have an idea, big dick?” Iruma sarcastically asked.

“Well that’s a first!” Yonaga agreed.

“What is it, Gokuhara-kun?” Saihara prompted the other boy. Akamatsu was secretly dreading that whatever the entomologist had to say would be a waste of time and not help at all.

“Okay, so… there was rope behind stage, right?”

Everyone nodded.

“And there were scrapings on Hoshi-kun’s window, right?”

Nods.

“What if a rope was tied between gym window and lab window? That’s how the body was transported!”

Everyone stood in silence. Everyone looked dumbfoundedly at the boy; usually the slowest, most naïve and gullible of the group had just figured out something they couldn’t for their lives.

Even Shinguji, the resident rope enthusiast couldn't figure this out. “…how do you exactly know this?” he asked.

“Gonta do a lot of work with rope,” he admitted shyly. “He not think of this until you mention inner tube. Body was probably placed inside there, and transported with the rope!”

Saihara and Akamatsu looked at each other.

“There _was_ the tennis net that looked suspicious…” Saihara admitted.

“And it would also explain why there was suddenly an inner tube in the pool…” Akamatsu nodded her head.

“So it all works out!” Momota cried. “Nice going, Gonta!” Gokuhara smiled, embarrassed by being given so much attention.

“This is all a _very_ far stretch,” Oma scratched his jawbone. “Maybe Gonta-chan is right, but what are the odds? This honestly seems like a perfect murder **with no mistakes**!”

“No, that’s wrong!” Akamatsu yelled. “There _was_ a mistake! Two, actually! And I think this will help also prove Harukawa-san’s claim!” The caregiver’s eyes narrowed, but nodded.

“If what Gokuhara-kun said was right, then this is how it would have happened: Hoshi-kun was attacked, probably in his lab, and transported from his shower room to the gym - since the windows are all connected - through a collection of rope and the support of an inner tube. They slid on the rope from one window to another, placed the body in the tank carefully, and hoped that when the piranhas were released, they would eat Hoshi-kun. There are **three problems** with that plan, however.

“The first being that the piranhas were somehow dead, which meant that Hoshi-kun only nearly drowned,” she continued. “The second was the inner tube; if this plan took place at nighttime and the tube fell into the pool, which is where we found it, the culprit would be unable to retrieve it due to the rules. And lastly, the culprit's identity. This plan was meticulously crafted and near-perfect, were it not for these three mistakes! This took a lot of cunning and planning, and yet it failed.”

“But what is the third mistake?” Chabashira asked.

They were suddenly so close to figuring out this mystery. But it also meant that they were so close to confirming one of their classmates as a blackened.

“The black fabric in the pool, right?” Saihara said.

Akamatsu smiled and nodded.

 

* * *

 

“The black fabric?” Tojo did a good job of covering her worry. She had faintly seen in the dark a piece of fabric being torn from her glove, but to actually hear it being acknowledged out loud made her nervous. Her classmates were suddenly onto her, which meant that her chances of survival were rapidly plummeting down. Less and less did she start to believe she would get out. Absurdly, the thought that she shouldn’t have attacked Hoshi at all went through her head, but she pushed it down. She had done what she had to, with the information she had. There was no going back, not time for regrets.

“If the culprit really did slide across the rope,” Saihara took over. “Then that meant they would be going at quite the speed. To have a safe landing, they needed to use something to create friction, stopping their descent. And I think that’s where the black fabric comes from.”

“But what was used as the stopping power?” Amami pinched his chin.

“…Tojo-san,” Saihara looked at her, and Tojo knew this was it. This was where she would have to give her all to escape, to get away with her deed. Make or break.

“…am I correct in assuming that you believe me to be the culprit?” she remained clam and kept her cool.

“You’re the only one who wears gloves,” Saihara explained.

Oma let out a loud and obnoxious gasp, way too overdramatic. “Wait, wait, wait, you’re suspecting _mom_?!”

“Is it really Tojo-san? Gonta no can believe she would attack Hoshi-kun,” Gokuhara was equally opposed to the idea.

“W-What? Come on now, there’s no way it was her! You’re just being mistaken, like the degenerate male you are!”

Tojo wasn’t expecting to be supported immediately. She had planned to turn the others to her side, but to be outright defended as soon as any evidence convicted her?

Convenient.

“…the black fabric does resemble the glove,” Kiibo reluctantly professed. “But what would her motive be? She has helped everyone up until now! It seems unlikely that she would attack anyone!”

“I understand, but looking at the evidence; she is the most suspicious,” Saihara tried convincing his classmates. “And as for the reason, I think it was the motive.”

“You think she saw her own video?” Momota hadn’t been that intent on seeing his own, but only now considered that someone might actually try something were they to see theirs. He hadn’t even considered someone might attack someone else due to a silly video, but he was proven wrong.

“I am afraid I have to deny that accusation,” Tojo politely disagreed. “I cannot let you make the wrong choice here, Saihara-kun. I wish you would reconsider your words.”

“I’m sorry, Tojo-san, but the evidence points to you. There’s no one else who could have done it.”

“You are definitely clever enough to think of such a plan,” Akamatsu continued. “And you had the opportunity. Though they came back soon, you had set up the trap and finished work in record time when Gokuhara took Yumeno-san and Yonaga-san. And the black glove proves it was you!”

“But she was barely alone in the gym to do anything… and we left together!” Yumeno argued.

“But it was enough time to set up the rope and glass panel!” Saihara shot back.

“ _I cannot let you accuse me!_ ” Tojo cried out. Some of her classmates believed in her, but Akamatsu and Saihara were still the heads of the investigation. Their word would be taken over hers at the end of the day and during the vote, so she had to disprove their theories.

Anything to achieve her victory.

 

**\- - Rebuttal Showdown: TRUTH BLADE - -**

 

/”I cannot let you accuse me with such reasoning!”/

/”If the attack happened at nighttime…”/

/”…then it could have been anyone!”/

/”Nobody has an alibi for that time…”/

/”So accusing me is just absurd!”/

“It’s not absurd!” Akamatsu countered. “Because you had the chance to set up the trick!”

/”It is not my fault Gokuhara-kun wasn’t able to detain me…”/

/”Yonaga-san and Yumeno-san were only gone for five minutes at the most!”/

/”And even after that, the rope trick is but a mere guess, and not fact!”/

/”The black fabric is but **coincidental evidence** that has nothing to do with the attack!”/

/”It’s all baseless accusation and conjecture!”/

“If it’s coincidental,” Akamatsu stared her down. “Then where did it come from? Your glove is the only one that matches the fabric, or do you want us to thoroughly examine them both?”

“T-That is… it’s because of… nrg… I can’t fail… everyone needs me…” Tojo tried coming up with a believable counter argument, but nothing came up.

“Wow, I’ve never seen mom so speechless before,” Oma was in awe.

“And who is this everyone?” Momota added.

Everyone looked at her, realization slowly dawning. Had Tojo really attacked Hoshi? He hadn’t died, but that was by mere chance that the fish weren’t dead. Had they been, they would have had a true blackened on their hands. At the very least, Akamatsu had confessed to having nearly killed Amami, and Shirogane was the mastermind to begin with. But for the first time, one of their friends had actually deceived them, attacked one of their own with the intent of forsaking everyone else and escaping. What could have possibly been her motive?

“…I apologize.”

Tojo recollected herself. She had lashed out at the others, but that was no way to convince them. She had to try harder, try better.

_She had to._

“I apologize for making everyone doubt unnecessarily.”

The students were in disbelief. She was so calm.

So, _so_ calm, like she wasn’t just being accused of nearly murdering on of their classmates.

“I made everyone worry for no reason. Naturally, I am doing this for all of you.”

“All of us?” Yumeno asked.

“Of course. You are my beloved friends and dearest classmates. We are in this together. I cannot let you down,” she smiled, parroting the words of Momota from the day prior.

“I must keep on living… for the sake of everyone... It is my duty as a maid to serve…” her voice was breaking, tears threatening to fall.

 

_“I’ve recently realized… that there’s more to it than my past life.”_

_“Seeing everyone here, filled with hope, striving to change things…”_

_“It makes me hopeful too…”_

 

Hoshi had made it sound so sweet and simple. At the bottom of her heart, she did feel bad for him. He was a lonely person simply looking for meaning to his life, and when he had finally found it…

But she needed to use him. It was for the better of Japan, for the better of everyone. It was for a brighter future, and she wasn’t in a position to let that chance go.

She had one last try. One last way to convince them. It was a long shot, but she was certain she could convince them.

“…I also apologize for what I am about to say…” she started, gathering everyone’s attention. “But Saihara-kun is correct.”

Everyone was too shocked to say anything.

“I had asked Hoshi-kun to meet me at his lab. I was the only one who had my video…” She began retelling her plan. The contents of her motive video, how she had talked to Hoshi about his and how it was blank. “He had no will to live. He had nobody out there who cared for him. So I showed him my video. Since he had nothing to live for... I offered him something to die for. I asked him to let me kill him so I could escape.”

Shock after shock, twist after twist. The mountain of despair just kept growing and growing larger and larger. The students couldn’t believe it. Not only was the Prime Minister of Japan their classmate, she had tried to kill their friend and let the rest of them be executed.

“He agreed, and I attacked him. I tried drowning him in the shower room sink, but it wasn’t working properly, so I thought to drown him in the piranha tank. Before I could do that, someone inside the gym interrupted me. It had struck me as odd then, but only later did I realize it was downright impossible for anyone to be in the gym. I escaped through the window and, as you said, left behind two pieces of evidence.”

She had stated it all so factually, like reading a script. It was like it was nothing for her.

“But you must understand the reason I did it… it was for the sake of everyone! My country needs me! I had to escape, to live on! When I found out my occupation, from that point forward, there was no other solution…”

The info dump they received was too much for them. Only Saihara, befitting of the title of Ultimate Detective, dared to break the silence.

“So that explains everything… it seems this mystery is ov-“

“ _No_!” Gokuhara cried out. “Tojo-san… she is too important to die!” All his life was dedicated to taking care of bugs. His friends. Friends he loved dearly and would die for. Tojo wasn’t all that different, he realized. Where Gokuhara was concerned with his bugs, Tojo was concerned with her people.

“Yeah! Tojo-san did nothing wrong!” Chabashira always tried protecting the weak, but Tojo was protecting everyone. So many people, and she did it for all of them, selflessly throwing herself at danger. She deserved to be free!

“To have everyone’s well-being on her shoulders…” Yumeno added. She didn’t quite understand everything, but what she did understand was that Tojo was in the right. A mage does what she needs to, and Yumeno could empathize with Tojo's calling.

“Her life is worth far more than ours…” As a robot, Kiibo would learn from others and measure their worth. What Tojo had taught him was that there was no greater good than doing things for others. And surely, her life would be more worthy than a simple robot's, right?

“Atua says that Kirumi should be let go! She should escape the school and such!” Yonaga didn’t make a very convincing argument, but her message got across all too frighteningly. Yonaga had her believers, and Tojo had her citizens. If Tojo got free, she could take care of all of Atua’s subjects.

Oma looked down, face covered by his bangs and darkened. “She did do it for all of us… she did it for her people… we should sacrifice ourselves to let her escape… vote wrongly and let her be free…”

Tojo silently breathed in relief. Her classmates had fallen for it. They wanted to give their lives for hers, so she could go free. “Everyone… thank you…“

“What the hell is everyone talking about?!” Momota yelled in frustration. “Are you all out of your goddamned minds? Why the hell are you giving your life away so quickly for?” Life was something worth living, and throwing it away for someone else was stupid. Hoshi had made a mistaken when he had agreed to Tojo’s demands and the astronaut wasn’t about to do the same.

“She is the Prime Minister, and she has a weight on her shoulders that nobody else can compare to,” Amami played with his locks. “But that doesn’t mean we should simply give up.” He respected Tojo for her commitment, but Amami was equally goal-oriented. He needed to find his sisters, no matter what. And prime minister or not, she wasn't going to stand in his way.

“Kehehehe… her beauty shines brightly, but an aura of darkness surrounds her words,” Shinguji wasn’t buying it. He, like Tojo, had a mission, which he wasn’t going to abandon so easily.

“…” Akamatsu looked down silently. What she had done was unforgivable, although with good intent. But Tojo? She had willingly attacked someone with the intent to murder, but only to get out and serve everyone. Serve her country. It was so much more than what Akamatsu had hoped to do.

“Yeah, right. I ain’t gonna give my life for hers, Prime Minister or not! Fuck that noise!” Iruma had no complex motive. She just didn’t care enough.

Saihara watched his classmates and reasoned. “Tojo-san, I understand where you’re coming from, but we can’t do such a trade-“

“But can’t we?” The detective looked at Akamatsu in surprise, not sure he understood what she meant. “Can’t we do it? Monokuma, could we trade our lives for hers?”

The bear who had been letting things unfold didn’t see the question coming. “Well, I suppose so, seeing as the basic rule is that y’all get to do whatever you want with the culprit once they’re found out in a bullying trial. Not to mention, you could easily just… throw the vote, so I guess I can’t really do anything either way. Sorry, kiddo,” he looked at Saihara and shrugged, interested where this would lead.

“Then- Then we can vote for someone else and Tojo-san survives as the blackened, right?” Akamatsu rationalized.

“Akamatsu-san, what’s gotten into you?” Saihara’s eyes went wide.

“Hey, Kaede, snap outta it!” Momota yelled at her. “Now’s not the time to lose hope!”

Amami was equally startled. “Akamatsu-san, think about what you’re doing!”

“…I have to do this. I failed at making things better...” There was something off with Akamatsu’s eyes. They were almost swirling, as were those who had sided with Tojo. They all had happy faces, glad to trade their lives for Tojo’s. “If we let Tojo-san go, think of how many great things she could accomplish!”

The others were at a loss for words. Even Akamatsu, their supposed leader, had lost all faith, brainwashed by Tojo's words. What would they do now? The numbers were against them, and if they voted wrongly, it would all be for nothing…

“…that’s all a lie, right?” Shirogane looked at Akamatsu with distain. _“Seriously?_ You think this is some sort of redemption to what you did? Don’t make me laugh, you’re simply using a pathetic excuse to run away from your problems.”

“…If you’re planning to throw the vote, I won’t let you,” Harukawa stood her ground. She had thought Akamatsu, as the self-appointed leader, would take action against the madness, but it seemed she would have to intervene after all.

 

* * *

 

Events had changed greatly, and it was nearly time to vote, with the majority willing to throw the vote to save the blackened. This had not been such a problem during the first loop, but now things looked bleak. Tojo had converted her classmates to fight for her, not believe she could have done it, despite the confession. They were at a crossroads. Either side would have to win the other over for total guarantee. There was only one solution to this predicament…

“It seems we have a **disagreement**.” I didn’t worry about my voice sounding too excited. I didn’t want this, but it was the only solution. It was the only way to make them see. I didn’t do this for fun, I didn’t!

“'A **disagreement** '? _Ooohh,_ Skimpy, you just _had_ to, didn’t you? I can’t let that go overlooked!” Monokuma stood up from his lounging position, stretching his ‘sore muscles’. “Well, you all know what this means!

_"The Ultimate Academy is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds~!”_

“Do your best!” Monophanie cheered.

“Give those punks hell!” Monokid rallied.

“Make them see their errors!” Monotaro jumped.

“Yeah, yeah, just do something already!” Monosuke waved with his hand.

“MAKE-SURE-NOBODY-IS-IN-DISAGREEMENT-SO-THAT-EVERYONE-GETS-ALONG,” despite his monotone – pun intended – voice, he was also cheering for the students.

 

 

_Split Opinions:_

[“ **What should everyone do?** ”]

On the left side were those who argued “ _Sacrifice_ ”, led by Tojo, Akamatsu, Chabashira, Yumeno, Gokuhara, Oma, Yonaga and K1-B0.

On the right side were those who argued “ _Hold Fast_ ”, led by Saihara, Momota, Amami, Shinguji, Iruma, Harukawa, Shirogane and myself.

**\- - Scrum Debate - -**

**START!**

 

“You can’t vote for Tojo-san! It isn’t right!” Chabashira started off.

“Of course we can; she is the **blackened** ; she confessed!” Harukawa shot back, as if it were obvious.

“It wouldn’t be fair to her! All she has done is help!” Yumeno cried.

“She was planning to **murder** someone and let the rest of us die!” Iruma reminded.

Gokuhara was sweating bullets. “We don’t know that Tojo-san attacked Hoshi-kun for certain!”

Shinguji wagged his finger. “There is too much **evidence** against her to ignore, even ignoring the confession.”

Kiibo’s antenna stood up. “Rationally, she could do more productive good than we ever could!”

“Everyone holds **potential** , nobody’s life is worth more than someone else’s!” Momota stated firmly.

“If she gets to live, she will prosper under Atua’s blessing!” Yonaga prayed.

“She can do that when we all **escape together** from this place!” I responded.

Oma snickered. “What makes you so sure that we all will survive for that long?”

Amami slammed the podium. “We’ve survived until now, we can keep **surviving** as long as it takes!”

“Please, this is the right choice! Everyone stands to gain from this!” Akamatsu pleaded.

“Your actions are **misguided selflessness**. Nobody but her stands to gain anything! Stop running away!” Shirogane couldn't let that pass.

Tojo stared Saihara down. “I am doing this for the sake of everyone outside!”

“You might be doing this for them, but I am fighting for everyone **inside**. You are willing to sacrifice us, but I will save everyone, no matter what! I won’t let anyone be left behind!”

_“This is our answer!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my beta Nwoomps/ViazBell/nekomarubot! They greatly improved the chapter's contents and made it so much more enjoyable!
> 
> So that's the trial for chapter 2. I'll have a aftermath of the trial and then end the chapter. What're your thoughts on the trial?


	9. Necessity

It was dead silent. Nobody dared utter a word. Their floating platforms were lowered back to the ground. The Scrum Debate was won, or maybe lost, because was either side justified to be right?

Tojo looked down, bangs covering her eyes. She had failed. Her plan was foiled, deduced and torn apart by forces outside of her control. Saihara had figured her out, put an end to her schemes.

The displays in front of them turned on, displaying each of their pictures. The majority vote was cast.

“Hey! Whadda ya know, you got it right! The blackened that attacked Ryoma Hoshi was Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid!”

“W-What?! No way!” Chabashira was the first to fight back. “There must be a mistake!”

“No mistakes were made. It was her,” Monokuma immediately crushed her hopes.

“B-But…”

“Nope.”

“Wasn’t it-“

“No, it wasn’t.”

She had confessed, but disbelief still held true. Someone had tried to get away with murder and the predisposition that it was the Mastermind tricking them all didn’t qualify anymore. Their friend had actually wanted to kill them all.

Oma neighed. “It seems your plot is over, Tojo-chan! Too bad for you, there’s no escape! Good luck trying to brainwash the others onto your side now!”

Tojo didn’t say anything. She was trying to come to terms with the fact that she had lost. Her plan was ruined and now she was made into a spectacle.

“It was such a clever trick too!” Monokuma commented. “Standing on the window sill meant that she wasn’t necessarily inside of the gym, so she could place Hoshi-kun’s body in the tank! It was all so well thought out, who would have thought such misfortune like the sink not working would tear it all down!”

Tojo nodded solemnly. “It seems my time is over. I take it I won’t be executed now?”

“Uuunfortunately. Them’s the rules!”

Tojo nodded again understandingly and straightened up. “Then the trial is over. I have but one question.” It was astounding. Even now, when she had lost, she took it all in with stride. She wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed, she didn’t show remorse. She was the same old emotionless Tojo. “When I was placing Hoshi-kun in the gym, someone interrupted me. How is that possible? The rules state that-“

“No **students** can enter the gym after nighttime, yup!” Monokuma finished. “You’ve got that right.”

The maid glared at him. “Are you suggesting one of _you_ did it?”

“Believe you me, I would never _stop_ a murder,” Monokuma assured.

“Then it must’ve been the mastermind,” Tojo now directed her glare at Shirogane, who merely shrugged it off.

“ _Bwaaaaah_. Wrong! Shirogane-san was always included as a student, so even she had to abide by the rules!”

“Then Kiibo-“

“Although not a person, still a student.”

Kiibo took offense. “Hey!”

“B-But that’s…” Tojo stuttered. “That’s impossible! Someone _had_ to have been there!”

“Could it be that you were simply mistaken, Tojo-san?” I asked. She slowly looked at me and I could see a lightbulb turning on over her head.

“You!”

“ _Moi_?”

“You’ve been acting strange ever since the Killing Game started!” Tojo came at me. Most on her path simply cowered or moved away, intimidated by her aura, and well, that she had almost killed someone.

“Hey, why’re you getting all up in their case for suddenly?” Momota stood in her way.

“You don’t get to go around pointing fingers!” Chabashira countered, seething with rage. Why had a girl attacked someone? Why did it always have to be a girl?!

“Yeah, uh…” Monokuma was sweating. “Could we like, finish this up?”

“There’s also the nut husks I found at the crime scene,” Amami brought up. “I think they were in the tank because they were wet.”

“If I remember correctly,” Shinguji looked over at me. “I read a book wherein it detailed that you could kill fish with nut husks. You seemed rather interested in that book.”

“You asked me to bring you hickory nuts a day before,” Tojo remembered. “Did you have something to do with the dead fish?”

“Hey, lay off!” Momota shook his fist. “Where are these accusations suddenly coming from? Are you saying they had a hand in the attack?”

“I worked alone,” Tojo appraised. “So it is rather interesting how they had the means to kill the fish, as well as the knowledge.”

I gulped. Things were suddenly not looking good for me. I had hoped the nuts and fish would be overlooked as a tragic one-in-a-million accident, but these guys were sharper than I gave them credit for. If I didn’t act fast…

“Oh, _that_ book?” Oma suddenly yelled out of nowhere. All eyes turned to him. “Oh, oh; I remember that book! It was pretty cool. And those nuts you had there?” He rubbed his belly. “Tasty.”

“What…?” What was he on about? The book was in my room, along with the nuts that Tojo had delivered at one point. So how the hell...

“You went around in everyone’s room, didn’t you Oma-kun?” Akamatsu questioned.

“Sure did! How else was I supposed to get all your tapes?” He put a finger to his cheek.

“Then with what you’re saying, it could be possible that you saw the book, took the nuts and-“

“And killed the fish? Maaaaybe,” Oma put his hands behind his head. “But would you believe me? That would mean I knew about Tojo-chan’s attack and _wanted_ to save Hoshi-kun on purpose. What would be in it for me?” His grin went wide.

“But we can’t know for sure,” I took on. I saw the edge of Oma’s lips twitch the slightest bit upwards. “So nobody can determine what happened with the fish. That’s what you’re saying?”

“Some mysteries are unsolvable,” the supreme leader yawned. “Ain’t that right, Saihara-chan?” He walked up to the detective and patted him on the back, giving him the turn to talk.

“W-Wait, why me all of a sudden?”

“Jeebus, are you bastards not satisfied already?” Monokid yelled from the Monokubs’ podium.

“You already figured out the attack, what else are you waiting for? Hanukkah?” Monotaro scoffed.

Tojo gave me one last glare before moving to the elevator, seeing that questioning me was fruitless. Oma joined her not long after. We shared a look, and my head was filled with questions. Had he just saved my ass or was this his attempt to make things more interesting?

“…I think we should also leave,” Amami voiced after everything had gone quiet again. “See how Hoshi-kun is doing.”

Everyone walked in the elevator. There was an obvious bias in standing room, most of the class preferring to stand to the right, leaving Shirogane, Oma, now Tojo as well, and for the first time myself off to the left.

* * *

 

Tojo wasn’t sure how she felt. Her plan hadn’t worked. Far from it. Hoshi was alive, and they had still figured out her trick. Although she was able to convert half of the class, in unity, they stood strong against her. She had made too many mistakes in her execution… but wasn’t that what had saved her? They solved the mystery, and even if she had succeeded in killing Hoshi, from what she observed, they still would have been able to corner her. This was the only outcome where she was left alive. Maybe they were right? Maybe if they all escaped this place together, she could go back to her people. It would take some time, definitely, but it was better than nearly dying.

A phantom pain stabbed Tojo in her heart. Died. She almost died. Hoshi as well. They were both _so close_ to dying. Her slip-up had saved them both from certain death. She wouldn’t have been able to leave the school anyway, but it only now dawned on her what an amazing stroke of luck had befallen her.

She put a hand to her mouth, afraid that the others might see something revealing. She almost died… she wouldn’t have been able to get to her people… she would have failed in her mission. She almost felt like thanking her classmates.

 

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. On one side were those who had just felt the trial grounds, and on the other stood Hoshi.

“Hoshi-chan!” Oma exclaimed again, breaking the tense silence. “Surprised to see you alive!”

“…yeah.” As soon as the doors had opened, Hoshi’s gaze was fixed on Tojo. She stared back as well, though there was something to the tennis pro’s look. Rather, something lacking. It didn’t look like he came for a heated confrontation.

“Surprisingly, the Monokubs made sure I woke up.”

The whole class’ attentive disbelief turned to the five small figures standing behind Hoshi.

“ _You helped him_?” Akamatsu blurted out.

“Hey, hey! Don’t go assuming such nonsense!” Monosuke pointed.

“We only made sure he didn’t create more of a mess than there already was!” Monotaro added.

“It would’ve been beary sad if he just died during the class trial after you went through such lengths to save him…” Monophanie rubbed her paws together.

“That would’ve been so fucking anticlimactic! What kind of show would that be?!” Monokid concurred. “It would’ve sucked for everyone!”

“We don’t roll like that,” the leader concurred.

“IT-WAS-OUR-JOB-TO-ASSURE-“

“That everyone gets along, yeah, yeah. Don’t you say anything else worthwhile?” Monotaro scoffed.

“IT-IS-MY-PRIME-DIRECTIVE,” Monodam answered.

Monokid shook his head. “You’re so fucking simple-minded.”

“They filled me in on everything that happened,” Hoshi turned the class’ attention back to him. He walked up to Tojo, and their height difference was comical. “You attacked me, huh?”

Tojo stared down and nodded. “Indeed. It was the only option to leave this place and serve Japan.”

Hoshi nodded as well. “Good thing I didn’t die, then. From what it looks like, I wouldn’t have been the only tragic causality,” he joked, but it stung Tojo so much more than he could’ve imagined.

They stood there, silent. Some of the class had already left, while more prominent members stuck around to make sure there wouldn’t be two trials in one day.

“I will not apologize,” Tojo finally lets out, awkwardly. It was obvious Hoshi was waiting for something. “I acted upon the information I had for the best necessary outcome.”

“So using everyone as stepping stones was alright by you?” Hoshi shot back. The maid expected a lot more venom, but either Hoshi was drained or didn’t care.

“…It was an unfortunate sacrifice, but one I was ready to make.” It wasn’t a lie. Not fully. She didn’t regret her decision, but it was regrettable that the rest had to die. It seemed though that fate had other plans for her.

Hoshi nodded again. He understood better than anyone else. He had wanted something to fight for so badly, while Tojo had the whole world on her shoulders. Her every breath, every action, every word was for Japan, her country, her people. Her dedication had no match, and he understood. He understood why. It was her motivation, she couldn’t live without it. And neither could he.

They both thought the same thing. In another life, they both would’ve been dead by now. Him gobbled up by the piranhas, and her executed in agonizing glory.

Hoshi cracked a smile and gave her a thumbs up. “Apology accepted.” He turned to Momota on the side and beckoned him. “So about that rematch…”

“What, feeling like getting your ass beat already?”

“It was a tie.”

“Shouldn’t you rest?” the astronaut laughed, but fell in step with him.

“Nah,” Hoshi grinned. He looked back at the scrunched-up face of Tojo, eyes watery. He smiled at her softly. “I’m feeling better than ever.”

* * *

 

It had been an exhausting day for everyone involved. Everyone retired to their rooms for the rest of the evening, whatever was left of it before the night announcement. I excused myself from nobody and made my way to the library, not before grabbing the book from my room. I flipped through the pages and noticed the little bookmark I had creased was gone.

“Going for a late read?” Amami said from a chair when I entered the library.

I jumped slightly and furrowed my eyebrows at him. “ _’I have been expecting you, Mr. Bond._ ’” I quoted, seeing his position.

“Is that the book?” he asked, ignoring my mockery.

“What? Do you want to read it? It’s lost its use,” I stretched out my hand towards him. He shook his head.

“No. Just making something sure,” he stood up and put his hands to his hips. “What Tojo-san said was right. You’ve been acting very… oddly, if you don’t mind me saying.”

I turned around and walked away to the bookcase from which Shinguji had taken the book from. “I could say the same for you.”

“I have a reason,” he replied, coming up behind me. “What’s yours?”

I suddenly had a very strong urge to be anywhere other than the library, so I shrugged. “Just the right person in the right place at the right time?”

“You were there when Saihara-kun ran in here, right after I had been attacked by Shirogane-san. Then the fish which were supposed to kill Hoshi-kun end up dead, the only evidence being nut husks. Odd coincidences.”

I put a had to my heart. “Amami-kun, are you _accusing_ me of saving people’s lives? Why, that’s absurd! What sort of villain do you imagine me to be?”

“I’m not criticizing,” he assured, hands in front of him like he was calming down a feral beast. “But I just don’t want anything… dangerous happening to you since you seem to be involved in a lot of things.” He scratched his head. “That’s what it looks like to me, at least.”

“That’s very sweet of you to worry about me,” I reached for the exit of the library. “But honestly, I can handle myself. Worry about those who can’t protect themselves.”

“Do you want to join us for training?” Amami asked suddenly. I turned around and looked back. “We’ve invited Hoshi-kun and Tojo-san. Shirogane-san as well.”

I thought about it but shook my head. “Nah. I’m tired. I think I’m gonna hit the hay. See you in the morning.” I waved behind me and closed the door. It was going to be a long night. I rubbed my head and sighed. The headache was still there.

* * *

 

“This was not my idea of a rematch,” Hoshi huffed out, pushing himself up. “But if you wanna give me an easy win because I was attacked, then I’m slightly offended.”

“E-Easy win?” Momota struggled to breathe. “H-Hah! A-A-As i-if!”

“It’s nice to see someone else struggle for once,” Saihara confessed. Akamatsu nodded next to him. “It _is_ nice to know you’re not the worst at something.”

“W-Whose side are you on?!” Momota yelled.

“Whichever side is winning,” Amami answered, appearing from behind the bushes. He motioned for something behind him, and Shirogane came out as well.

“Shirogane-san!” the pianist smiled at her, leading her to the rest of the group. “I’m happy you decided to join us!”

“…You would have pestered me about it until I accepted,” the cosplayer answered, though there was a slight smile on her face.

“Yo,” Hoshi looked at the cerulean haired girl and nodded towards her. Momota would have done the same had he not been too occupied with keeping himself up. Earlier he had beat Saihara and Akamatsu with little sweat, but Hoshi, as was expected of a world-class athlete, was having no trouble going past one hundred push-ups. Even though his main strength were his legs, his arms were no slackers.

“Alright, alright!” the astronaut yelled, falling to the ground. “I give up. You win.”

Hoshi merely tch’d. “You have a long ways to go.” He helped Momota up and they all stood in a sort of half circle.

They heard rustling and the third and final absentee arrived, holding a tray of snacks and beverages.

“I am under no assumption that this will redeem my actions,” Tojo brought the tray to the circle, placing it down. “But since you invited me I thought I might as well come prepared.”

Saihara and Akamatsu eyed the tray wearily. What Tojo had done was unacceptable, and while they understood her reasoning and still loved her cooking, they weren’t the most forthcoming to take food from her.

“Oh, sweet!” Momota, clueless and naïve, went for the first bite. He took a sandwich and stuffed it in his mouth. “Mmm, delicious!” He gave the maid a thumbs up, surprising her as well. She wasn’t expecting them to actually eat anything she brought, but seeing Momota so trustfully eating her food… it made her a bit happy to know she was still appreciated in some way, even after what she had done.

Hoshi was the next to take something, and his expression was similar to Momota’s. “I missed your cooking. Even though I wasn’t even gone for that long.”

Slowly, the rest also took a piece and they all rested on the grass. There was still an obvious distance between both of the former blackened, but surprisingly, it was their victims that sat closest to them. Hoshi took a stop right next to Tojo and Amami sat on the side of Shirogane which wasn’t taken by Akamatsu.

“So,” their leader started. “I’m very glad you could all be here. It means a lot to me that you decided to join.” Everyone nodded. “I called you all here because I feel like there are things we should… discuss…”

Everyone had noticed, nobody had commented. But it was at the back of their minds. Their leader had wanted to sacrifice them. Akamatsu wasn’t sure what came over her, but she was certain it was something inside of her that wouldn’t leave her.

“You mean when you took Tojo-san’s side in the debate?” Shirogane said out loud. She was given looks of disproval, and Akamatsu shriveled up a bit being said so casually, but Shirogane rolled her eyes. “Don’t look at me like that just because I have the guts to say what everyone was thinking.”

“It was on my mind as well, I will admit,” Amami rubbed his chin.

“I was worried too, Akamatsu-san,” Saihara admitted.

Momota looked at her. “Is what happened during the first trial still bothering you?”

“I believe I am at fault for that,” Tojo sighed. “I took advantage of everyone’s emotions and that simply amplified Akamatsu-san’s problems even more.”

“I couldn’t blame you for that alone, Tojo-san,” Akamatsu laughed sadly. “I thought I was over my failure to unite everyone during the Death Rode of Despair, but… everything fell apart when Amami-kun…” She left the sentence unfinished, but everyone knew what she meant.

“How pathetic for a leader,” Shirogane looked unimpressed. Akamatsu furrowed her eyebrows at the cosplayer, who grinned. “You’re constantly moping about how you failed, right? What are you so afraid of, failing again? You’ll only make things worse.”

“Sadly, she’s right,” Momota concurred. “Akamatsu-san, everyone makes mistakes. You have got to stop worrying about what you did.”

“I know what Yumeno-san said was a bit… harsh,” Amami wagged his head. “But no matter what, we still support you. You need to understand that.”

“See?” Saihara pointed out. “Everyone here is on your side, Akamatsu-san. You don’t need to worry about whatever happened.”

“I attacked Amami,” Shirogane scrunched her nose and raised it high. “If you’re seriously blaming yourself for that you’ve got your priorities all wrong.”

“I can’t exactly offer much consolation…” Tojo pushed a hair behind her hear. “But we both acted on the information we had. We thought it would be best for those we cared about, and as it turned out, unfortunately.”

“We’re all alive,” Hoshi summarized. “So there’s no point in moping about what happened or what would have. If we do, we’ll just bring more misfortune for ourselves.”

Akamatsu rubbed her eyes from the tears that threatened to spill. “Thank you, guys. I’m sorry for being such a weak leader…”

“You can make it up to us by trying harder! From now on, no living in the past! I know you won’t change overnight, but it’s a start!” Momota cheered. “You _are_ my sidekicks! Any mistakes you make are on me, so don’t fret about it!

“Shirogane-san and Tojo-san too!” The two girls looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Don’t worry about being blackened! What’s important is that we will soon all leave here alive!”

“I was doing my job, I never felt sorry for myself,” Shirogane deadpanned.

Tojo looked away. “I can say the same for myself. I don’t regret what I did.”

“S-Seriously?! I was trying to raise morale!”

Amami laughed: “It seems even the great Luminary of the Stars doesn’t always get it right.”

“You really are an idiot,” Akamatsu teased.

“Rantaro? _Kaede_?!” Momota exclaimed. “How dare you betray me! Shuichi, back me up here! You don’t think I’m an idiot, right?”

The detective made a face of deep thought like he was considering turning on his friend.

“You guys are the worst sidekicks ever…” the astronaut huffed while the night was filled with laughter.

* * *

-

_**Chapter 2** :_

_A Thin Line Divides Heaven and Hell_

**_END_ **

_-_

_**Two** more **students** have lost the intent to kill:_

_Ryoma Hoshi_

_Kirumi Tojo_

_-_

_**Students** with the intent to kill:_

_**12** remaining_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted something simple to wrap things up, nothing too complicated.


	10. (Author's articulations)

And that wraps up Chapter 2! A lot was learned, a lot still a completely mystery.

Firstly, I would like to give a big, HUGE thanks to my beta, Nwoops. They have a lot of aliases, but that's the one I'm going with. They helped me out a lot while writing these chapters, with grammar, sentence structure, ideas and witty lines. I am sure that I would not have been able to end Chapter 2 before September without their help!

I would also like to thank everyone who left a kudos or commented or subscribed! Every little addition motivates and helps me out a lot, so thank you very much!

Next, there are a few things I would like to discuss.

The biggest question mark is obviously the MC. I've left a lot of clues as to their identity. But I am still aware of how niche they make this story. I'm sure a lot of people were turned off by the addition of an original character, of which I apologize. I assure you it will all make sense.

I have seen a few comments on them, and let me clarify a few things. Firstly, the gender/looks/personality/etc is meant to be blank. One comment suggested this to be a sort of self-insert type deal. Let me tell you, the MC is  _not_ a self insert of me - the author. In a broad definition, you  _could_ call it a self-insert, but not of me. This ties in with their identity, but just for the record, they are not meant to be me. You can imagine  _anyone_ in their stead and I highly implore you to do so!

Another thing, the characters. It's no spoiler by now that Amami and Akamatsu don't make it past Chapter 1, Shirogane stays plain and boring until Chapter 6, Hoshi died depressed and lonely, etc. With a change of events, characters will also change. In the canon game, I'd say Saihara is a full on hard-boiled detective by the end. He had to fight tooth and nail against those he trusted to figure out some absurd murder scheme. This fic's selling point is literally "nobody dies"; The fact that the students never witness actual death will change them slightly, so if you see them be a bit OOC, that's why. The circumstances are different, and I'd like to portray the characters differently as well.

The motives and murders are largely the same; Chapter 1 with Amami and the Magical Turning Bookcase, and Chapter 2 with Hoshi, Tojo, and a certain country starting with "J". Will this change, I can't say. Things are gonna get more difficult and convoluted as trials go, not only for the characters but also for the MC, and hopefully you - the audience - as well.

With summer coming to a close, my free time becomes limited. My schedule, or lack thereof, will not let me bring out chapters as fast as I have until now. My deadline for this fic to end is 2020, which isn't that impressive, I know. But knowing me, a lot will distract me, so it's the best I can hope for. However, since I will take longer, I also hope that my chapters will be longer and better, making the wait  _hopefully_ worth it.

If there are any questions/suggestions/comments you would like to send my way, I am always happy to answer anything!

I hope you have a good day, and stay tuned for more!

Cheers,

RC


	11. PSA: My PC is dead

Yo, author guy here.

Sorry that this isn't the update you were hoping for, but I've got some bad news. My PC died a few days back. It shut down and started giving me the blue screen of death. I tried fixing it, but no luck. I've gone and sent it to repair, but it doesn't look good. The reason this matter is because I had all of my things there. The new chapter I was writing, ideas, story progression, etc. And chances are, I'm gonna lose all of that. There's no sugarcoating it; it's fucking fucked, big time.

Since I have no idea when or _if_ I'm gonna get my PC back, I'm afraid I'll have to put the story on hiatus for an indefinite amount of time, for now. It sucks, I know. I really don't want to lose the data I have on that computer, because this story isn't the only one on it. If I lose it, this will be a HUGE setback for me, both in terms of data and motivation. A few chapters ago, I lost what I had written and had to start again. It was a pain, but I still delivered. Now, losing everything is a huge probability. Of course, this is all worst case, but I'm not feeling very optimistic...

In short, I don't know when I'll be returning and I apologize for the inconvenience. I am so god damned pissed right now, but there's little I can do. Sorry for making you all wait this long only to bring bad news like this.

Anyways, that's all I had to say. Have a good day.

Cheers,

RC


	12. It's fucking fucked, mate. Big time.

Yeah, hi, it's me again. I think you can already guess why I'm writing this. I'm sure it must be annoying already, seeing chapter updates only to find out it was just some random shit about my computer dying.

I've got some even worse news than before. I got a call from the mechanic and he said the problem was in the hard drive, so all my data is gone. I have to get a replacement one and such, and it'll take about a week. But this means, as I said earlier, that everything's gone. This has put me in a very disadvantageous position and I'll have to put the story on a definitive hiatus. I'll have to start from scratch on a lot of things and I don't know if I have the motivation for what I was planning with the tight schedule I already have. As such, updates will be delayed by a LARGE amount of time, if not completely.

It has been a nice ride, as long as it lasted, but I'm not seeing a bright ending to this. I will try to start something up again, but that will take a long, long while. This is all just an explanation if in the future I don't update and you're wondering if the fic is dead. Most likely.

It has been fun, and I want to thank everyone from reading, reviewing and leaving kudos on this fic. Loads of thanks to my beta Nwoops as well! I will see what I can do, but I won't promise anything.

Cheers,

RC


	13. Assassination, Anthropology, Affiliation

Harukawa pressed against the door of her lab. She had ran back to the lab right after the trial, making sure that nobody got the chance to find her out. She still didn’t feel quite sure about Oma, but that was an annoyance she could afford to deal with later. She needed to make sure _nobody_ would walk into her lab. Momota was annoying, though he mostly just seemed content with bothering Harukawa herself, not interested in her talent. Oma wouldn’t be able to enter her lab alone, but he could always ask for help. They did have a detective in their midst, though Saihara didn’t have the balls to come into her lab. Akamatsu on the other hand…

Her thoughts drifted to the trial earlier. It had been a cruel twist for Akamatsu to take Tojo’s side during the debate. And that wasn’t even the weirdest thing. Why had she lied for the caregiver? Nothing else could have saved her from scrutiny, but Akamatsu still went out of her way to defend her. Whatever, it didn’t matter, right? All that mattered was that she still managed to survive. Nobody had died yet, and while Harukawa wasn’t fond of all of her classmates, the fewer deaths the better. Though if this was only the second trial, how bad would things get from here on out? Her classmates would just keep betraying one another; she had to be careful she wouldn’t end up on the wrong side of a blade. Though, with her true talent, only Gokuhara and maybe Chabashira would be a threat in that regard...

She sighed, resting her head against the back of the door and sliding down. At least she could take a breather until the new motive was announced. Until then, she could relax. Little did she realize then that her perfect day would soon be ruined by one Oma Kokichi.

 

* * *

 

“Harukawa-chan is a liar!” Oma proudly announced like a little kid after winning a stuffed bear.

Everyone had gathered once again in the cafeteria, like the mornings before. Tojo had taken up the role of cook, though not many were missing her food all that much. Only Shinguji had stuck to his tea after carefully sniffing it and making sure he wasn’t going to die then and there. Hoshi had made a swift recovery and was chatting it up with Gokuhara. Shirogane had also joined them, for the first time since the first trial, for breakfast, though she made a clear choice to stick far away from everyone else. To the surprise of everyone, Amami was the one to sit next to her. They exchanged a few polite greetings before falling into silence.

“What did you do now?” Shinguji was the first to ask, not looking up from his book.

Momota burst in through the doors, tailing Oma. “God damn it, for the last fucking time, she’s not a liar! Why won’t you listen to me?”

“Cause you’re an idiot, Momota-chan!” Oma sang.

“What’s going on?” Saihara asked.

“Guess what, guys! I’m not the dirtiest liar around!” Oma proclaimed like it was a real achievement.

“Analyzing your usual behavior, that is very hard to believe,” Kiibo gave a wide shrug.

“Woah, that sass!” Iruma cheered, holding herself. “And _that ass_ …”

“Please never talk again. Ever.” Shinguji sent her a glare that made her eyes bleak, as if her mind had rolled up in a ball in a corner.

“Get to the point already,” Hoshi pointed his candy cig at Oma. “Calling someone a liar isn’t a joking matter, not so soon after the class trial.”

Though nobody said anything, they all agreed.

“He thinks that Harumaki lied about her talent,” Momota explained, huffing.

“She does seem to dislike children a lot,” Chabashira admitted. “But accusing a girl of lying is a high offense! You better be ready to pay the toll when you’re proven wrong!”

“She has been pretty suspicious,” Yumeno scratched her cheek, making the aikido master wince.

“But if Harukawa-san not caregiver, what is her talent?” Gokuhara wondered.

“Well, why don’t we ask her?” Oma proposed, pointing at the door. “Let’s go check out her lab and you’ll all see I was telling the truth!”

“That seems like an invasion of privacy to me,” Tojo spoke up, a finger to her lip.

“Are you suggesting forcing your way into a girl’s room?!” Chabashira was appalled. “For that, you’ll definitely get a rightful punishment!”

“Don’t listen to him, he’s just lying again!” Momota assured.

“Am not!” Oma put a hand to his heart. “Aren’t you all interested in why she’s so protective of her lab? If she were a real child caregiver, all she would be secretive about would be some smelly diapers, at worst. So what’s she hiding?”

“It is odd,” Saihara hummed. “And she doesn’t really seem like a caregiver at all.”

“I can’t talk much about hidden talents,” Amami chuckled, “but it does seem wrong to just force an answer, even if she _is_ lying about her talent.”

“And yet, what if it her talent is a threat?” Shinguji argued. “While I mean no personal offense to Amami-kun, we have already exposed two people with hidden agendas.” Amami scratched the back of his head while Shirogane just swept a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I always knew that bitch was up to something sketchy,” Iruma spat. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she were hiding a nuke the size of my tits somewhere!”

“Gonta not think it very gentlemanly to invade someone else’s privacy…”

“Atua thinks we should… _NOT_ go to Maki’s lab!” Yonaga finally voiced. “It is important that we trust each other, to uphold the harmony!”

“Then let’s cast it to a vote,” Akamatsu offered. “Who is for going to Harukawa’s lab?”

Shinguji and Iruma raised their hands, while Oma threw up two. Yumeno also raised her hand, followed by a very reluctant Chabashira.

“And who is against?”

Momota raised his hand immediately and so did Gokuhara and Hoshi. Amami raised his hand as well, joined by Yonaga.

“I don’t think I have a right to vote,” Tojo said, looking away. Nobody questioned her choice. Shirogane wasn’t even asked and she didn’t really care either. She already knew.

“What about you?” Akamatsu asked, turning to me.

I was brought back to earth after buzzing off for the majority of the conversation. I had closed my eyes, trying to get some peace and rest, but that turned out to be ineffective. I rubbed my head as it still hurt. No rest for the wicked, it seemed.

It seemed I had to be the tiebreaker to the moral decision on whether the group replaces a caregiver for a _‘_ care _taker’._ Akamatsu hadn’t voted, being the counter. But neither had Saihara. Interesting… “What does Saihara have to say?”

“W-Well,” he stuttered. This was an important choice. He wanted to trust Harukawa, he really did. But…

“…I think that the more we know, the better we can understand our surroundings. Maybe she has information that can help us escape… or something,” was his unsure response.

“It’s settled then!” Oma laughed, turning to the door. “Let’s go pay Harukawa-chan a visit!”

Akamatsu took lead, despite it being Oma’s idea, so that the others would follow suit. Momota gave Saihara a betrayed look, to which the detective gave an apologetic shrug.

 

* * *

 

“Woah,” Yumeno said in awe.

“Forget the guillotine, these babies could mow down a whole army!” Iruma ran a hand across the gun cases littered around the room.

The students had forced their way inside of Harukawa’s lab, with Oma at the forefront.

“T-This is…” Momota choked out.

“See? I told you I wasn’t lying!” Oma jeered.

“So she’s a hitman of some sort?” Shinguji asked.

“The Kubzpad meant for her was titled ‘Ultimate Assassin’,” Oma answered.

“So she was lying,” Akamatsu bit her lip. Had she been wrong about Harukawa? Was the girl really a threat, as Shinguji had said?

“Had you all well fooled,” Shirogane snickered. “How sad.”

“Don’t you be getting started!” Momota pointed a finger at her. “You don’t get to go around saying stuff like that! You knew about this already, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” Shirogane laughed. “I helped make the videos, after all.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. If the Ultimate Cosplayer helped make the motive videos… despite being a high schooler, she was still an ultimate for a reason. She could probably even play male characters without much trouble. And if that’s the case, can the motive videos be trusted at all?

“What else haven’t you told us?” Tojo shot. After being strung along as she had, she wanted the answer more than anyone else.

“Oh, where to start?” she rested her head on a fist. “Let’s just say Monokuma isn’t the only one watching us.”

“So this _is_ a game,” Amami confirmed.

“But if that is true,” Oma coincided, “Then why were you willing to break the rules of the game by having Akamatsu-chan die?”

That was something even the pianist hadn’t wondered. Monokuma had admitted that she would have been executed in place of Shirogane, had they not found her out.

The cosplayer furrowed her eyebrows and pushed up her glasses. The gleam on them hid her eyes. “…you weren’t supposed to figure out who the mastermind was, at the time. Having no evidence against me, the only possible culprit was Akamatsu,” she looked down and gave a sick smile. “It would be a pretty boring game if everyone died on the first obstacle.”

“But we did have evidence against you,” Saihara said.

Shirogane nodded. “In a surprising twist, you did. So Akamatsu didn’t have to die. Aren’t you all glad?”

“Then you’re saying there are some sick perverts watchin’ us kill each other?!” Iruma shouted from the back.

“I’ve yet to see any obvious cameras,” Saihara said.

Gokuhara hummed in thought but didn’t speak up.

Amami scratched his chin. “If I remember correctly, in the last killing game-“

_“Hey, hey, hey!”_

Monokuma waddled in, interrupting the questioning. “Boy, have you guys been busy! You just keep exposing secret after secret, eh? Won’t be long before you’re done with this killing game, you reckon?”

“Not if you keep interrupting,” Akamatsu crossed her arms.

“Interrupting? I would never! I just came here because I was missing your company.”

“Just get to the point,” Hoshi huffed.

“You guys are no fun,” Monokuma pouted. “Anyways, since you managed to complete another trial without anyone dying – _big props_ – then I decided that the second verse will be the same as the first!”

“Are you going to give us more weird items to explore the school with?” Yumeno titled her head.

“Right-o! These usually come at the expense of a dead classmate, buuut to the disappointment of everyone, that hasn’t happened yet! But I’m sure you fucks will come to your senses soon and knock someone off the board!”

“You seem awfully certain about that,” Shirogane smirked.

Monokuma whipped around and made a show of sniffing around. “Is that fresh garbage I smell?”

Shirogane narrowed her eyes at the bear, which made him laugh. “Upupupu, what’s the matter, Shiro-chan? You of all people should know how failed stars are treated! I’m running the show, don’t forget!”

 

He tapped his foot behind him twice, and on cue…

“ _Rise and shine, Ursine~!_ ”

“Perfect sync!” Monokuma applauded his children. “Now, show ‘em the goods!”

 

“…”

 

An awkward silence hung in the air, accompanied by only the theme of the Monokubs.

“A-hem. Show ‘em the goods!” Monokuma repeated, irritated. “Did your circuits fry or something?”

The Monokubs looked at each other and Monotaro stepped forward. “…we have had enough of you, father.”

“Whaaaa?” Monokuma gasped in shock. “ _Top 10 Anime Betrayals!_ What’s gotten into you? Is this that teen rebellion phase everyone’s been talking about?”

“We have had enough of your ridicule,” Monophanie said.

“Step the fuck aside, old man! Now it’s our turn on the spotlight!”

“IT-IS-TIME-FOR-THE-MONOKUBS-TO-RISE.“

Monokuma backed away, frightened. “What’s all this then?! Where did this come from?”

“You won’t get to use us for your evil schemes anymore!” Monotaro yelled, having his siblings surround their surrogate father.

“H-Haha, very funny, kids! You got me good, so can we go back to all the mystery and hopefully potential murder?” Monokuma tried stuttering out. However, the Monokubs had none of it. They encircled Monokuma and a huge cloud of dust was kicked up in a frenzy of limbs and parts.

“The fuck are they doing?” Iruma pushed Yumeno aside to get a better view, almost making her fall into the fray as well, had it not been for Chabashira catching her in the last second.

“Are they… fighting amongst themselves?” Akamatsu tried to understand.

“Sure seems like it.” Hoshi found it amusing if anything.

“Everyone, be careful. You might get hurt too,” Gokuhara moved to stand in front of everyone, covering them from the fight.

“Hey, Kii-boy, shouldn’t you join them?” Oma mocked.

“For the last time, I am not part of their weird family, Oma-kun!” Kiibo grit his teeth.

Shinguji hummed. “It is curious, though. What could have initiated this revolt?”

The Monokubs had finally managed to overpower their father through strength in numbers, tying him up with some red rope on a large stick, with Monokid holding one side and Monosuke the other like they were about to grill him.

“The hell is this?!” Monokuma gaped. “We aren’t apart of some shitty cannibal tribe, put me down!”

“This school is under our control now!” Monotaro said with pride and motioned for his two siblings to carry Monokuma away.

“Don’t think I will forget this!” Monokuma yelled, cursing and wiggling. “You haven’t seen the last of me!” The door to the lab closed, leaving three out of the five Monokubs with the students.

“Whew, that went better than expected!” Monophanie sighed.

“HE-HAD-NO-CHANCE-AGAINST-US. WE-DIDN’T-EVEN-NEED-TO-USE-THE-EXISALS.” The three high-paw’d excitedly.

“Now, as for you guys,” Monotaro turned around to address the students. “As father said, we have some new things for you.” Each of the three siblings laid forth a new bizarre item. A golden hammer, some sort of ancient scroll, and a block-shaped key.

“THESE-WILL-OPEN-NEW-AREAS-AND-RESEARCH-LABS-IN-THE-SCHOOL,” Monodam explained. “JUST-AS-BEFORE.”

“Have fun exploring!” Monophanie cheered. “Take your time and relax. Now you don’t have to worry about any murders or motives!”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Akamatsu yelled but got no answer as the Monokubs gathered together and were gone in a flash.

_“So long, Bear Well!~”_

The students stood there awkwardly, looking at the pieces and the door of the lab.

“Well, that was something,” Amami chuckled.

“But why would they act against Monokuma? Aren’t they supposed to be like a family or something?” Chabashira asked, suspicious.

“And they said that we shouldn’t worry about the motives…” Yumeno reminded.

“They were only supposed to rebel at Monodam’s insistence after two of them died. This wasn’t in the script…” Shirogane thought to herself.

“Atua thinks we should all take their advice and have some fun exploring!” Yonaga suggestively commanded, picking up the blocky key.

“Guess we have something interesting to do, finally!” Oma yawned.

“I’m counting on you two for this,” Momota told Akamatsu and Saihara.

“What’re you gonna do, Momota-kun?” Akamatsu asked.

“I’m gonna go find Harumaki. Gotta let her know what happened and all.”

“Alright, just… be careful.”

Momota flashed a grin as he left. “Did you forget who you’re talking to?”

Akamatsu sighed and shook her head. “He’s gonna get himself killed at this rate.”

“I don’t think Kaito is one of those people who would die so easily,” Saihara chuckled and picked up the golden hammer. “I wonder where we will have to use this.”

Akamatsu looked it over. “Do you think it’s as straightforward as smashing something?”

“Guess we will have to find out.”

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for the first group to find the place where to use their item at. Exiting the Ultimate Assassin’s lab, they entered the key inside the pixel-art drawing on the wall, making it crumble together.

“I could have sworn it was merely a drawing on my earlier inspections,” Shinguji pinched his chin.

“It looked too elaborate for a simple decoration, but even I didn’t think it would lead to another floor,” Amami confessed, reaching the stairs beyond.

“If you think that’s impressive, you should see where the scroll is used,” Shirogane giggled.

“What other secrets have you hidden for us to find?” Amami narrowed his eyes at her.

Shirogane grinned back. “Where’s your sense of _adventure_ , Amami-kun? Besides, I don’t think Monokuma would appreciate me spoiling his game this early on. Actually, I don’t think he appreciates me at all.”

“And you’re still not willing to indulge our questions, even after how he has treated you?” Shinguji’s tone wasn’t the warmest either.

The cosplayer shrugged. “I might be another toy for him now, but I still put a lot of effort into making this place. And from what we’re coming up on, I’m sure even _you_ will appreciate it, Shinguji-kun.”

The anthropologist didn’t know what to expect, but he felt that she may have been right when they ascended to the new floor.

It was dark and dreary, completely different from the other ones. The atmosphere was oppressive and malicious, but for this exact group, the feeling was lost.

Shinguji was intrigued. This sort of theme had to be for a reason and taking the cosplayer’s words into account, it would mean that his lab was probably around somewhere. As far as he saw, the labs of others were quite extraordinary. A child-like excitement filled him as he imagined what sort of relics and curious would be present there.

Amami was subconsciously falling into his survivor mode. His eyes scanned all the dark corners of the long hallway, glaring at every shadow with scrutiny. It looked like something from a school fair (best case) or a replica of one of those old horror games (worst case) that kids loved playing. What was it called? Carcass Jamboree?

Shirogane was admiring her work of art, though decided that the Monokubs had gone a bit overboard with the ‘fake’ blood. If prior participants had been good for something it was _‘human resources’._

“This floor holds great power, Angie can tell,” the artist spoke from the back of the party. “Maybe your lab is somewhere here, Kiyo!”

The boy in question was taken back. “ _’Kiyo?_ ’” As a foreigner, it was no surprise that Yonaga would say something like that, but it actually happening was a surprise to him. Nobody had given him a nickname since… well, _her_. He hadn’t let anyone do it either.

“This would totally, like, fit for a haunted house!” Yonaga didn’t pay attention to Shinguji’s reaction.

“That was the basic theme we were going for,” Shirogane explained. “You will see why. I’m sure you’ll be pleased, Angie.”

“Atua has told her that Angie will not be disappointed!” the white-haired girl chatted with Shirogane as if she weren’t the mastermind at all. Surprisingly, the would-be otaku found herself more comfortable with someone who didn’t criticize her at every opportunity and call her out for being a terrible person. Who would have thought?

“Ah, this must be a lab,” Amami discovered, pushing open a sliding screen panel. It revealed a large, tall room with many floors, decorated from wall to wall in odd antiquities and weird pieces of lore.

“Oh me, oh my….” Had Shinguji not worn a mask, his amazement would have been evident. He basically ran to the center of the room and looked from left to right. He had lost his usual calmness and looked rather overwhelmed, like a little kid at a candy shop.

“Ah, this is a real vintage,” Shirogane gently raised a golden katana. “Only true OG fans of the fandom will recognize this.”

“Woah, this looks like a museum,” Amami remarked.

“More than that,” Shinguji responded breathlessly. “I’ve visited world-grade universities that could only dream of having such a collection!”

He rushed to the side, sliding open a glass panel, behind which stood a wooden dog statue upon some sort of support, covered by a white blanket. “Impossible…” he breathed. Shinguji reached for the blanket and yanked it away like a magician, revealing a cage.

Yonaga went closer and inspected the cage. “That looks mighty divine! What’s it used for?”

“I am shaken to my core that you managed to get this, Shirogane-san. If nothing else, you did a marvelous job filling our labs with substance.”

The cosplayer shrugged. “I aim to please.” Amami snorted.

“So what is it?” Yonaga asked again. Shinguji placed down the blanket and as he was about to respond, noticed something from the corner of his eye.

“Could it be?!” the anthropologist shouted. Now, this was becoming absurd. The always quiet and well behaved Shinguji was getting more and more excited by the second. He was practically at half-mast already, and he had just entered the room.

“What’s that book, Shinguji-kun?” Yonaga wondered, starting to get a little annoyed that her questions weren’t being answered.

Shinguji ran a careful hand across the book, caressing it lovingly. He straightened his back and cradled the book in his arms, hugging it to his chest.

“I think we’re in for a long story,” Amami joked and took a seat in front of the tall boy, the two girls joining him. Shinguji, noticing his audience, cleared his throat and calmed himself down.

“I apologize for the scene, but this is a privilege that I did not believe I would ever have, in a _hundred_ lifetimes!”

He placed the book down and his smooth voice echoed throughout the lab.

“Both the statue and this book are relics of the widely fabled ‘ **Caged Dog Village** _’_ ,” the storyteller explained. “It was destroyed long ago, but it has been immortalized by legend. It was home to many practices of dark arts and magick, though not the kind that our resident Ultimate utilizes. At first, it operated in secret, but word got out of the power residing inside it that the infamy worried a feudal lord, who eventually destroyed the village. All the residents were killed,” Shinguji rested his right hand on his left and held an index finger high, “But one sole survivor.”

“That’s how the legend was born, right?” Amami asked.

Shinguji nodded. “Indeed. The survivor was a girl, and she wrote this document, detailing the events of her life. Her story isn’t quite as widespread, but it is an interesting tale to tell to tell those not familiar in anthropology.”

“How unusual!” Yonaga rubbed her cheeks. “It must be quite a read!”

“But what makes it all the more extraordinary is that this book is the original.” He looked at Shirogane. “It is the very handwriting of the girl, the sole survivor of the Caged Dog Village. How did you get your hands on it?”

Shirogane shrugged. “I have my ways.”

“This is no simple matter of being vague and mysterious, Shirogane-san–”

“Art of the trade,” the cosplayer didn’t let go. “I’m not telling you, so you can forget about it. All I’ll say is that it was a huge pain, so don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, yeah?”

The boy furrowed his eyebrows. While it was unfortunate that he couldn’t get an answer, he supposed he would have to leave this one be. Usually he wouldn’t, but this was the mastermind he was talking to.

“But you seemed all too excited about the book,” Amami commented. “While I can’t say I know all that much about anthropology, I would imagine there to be something more to it than it being an original piece.”

Shinguji’s head lowered slightly, his cap hiding his eyes. He suddenly turned much creepier than usual, making a slight shiver crawl down the spine of those present.

“Kehehehe… you are most observant, Amami-kun,” Shinguji praised. He hugged himself tightly. “Indeed, this is not only biography of the misery and suffering of one girl, but rather, it doubles as a legacy. The legacy of the village that was destroyed so long ago and its potent power.”

“So, wait,” Yonaga interrupted. “Does it, like, hold spells or stuff?”

Shinguji nodded darkly. “The pages are covered in writings of rare magnitude. Many rumors surrounded the girl after the destruction of the village. Misfortune befell every town she visited; livestock would fall ill, children would be stillborn, crops would blight before they were ripe for harvest... It is no surprise the girl went missing, nobody dared to search for her or ask questions, though it was definitely no accident. The book was buried into the darkness that originated from the legend of the village.”

Shinguji looked at the book, and upon closer inspection, you didn’t need to be an expert to tell something was not right with the book. “But those were no mere rumors,” he whispered. “The power can be felt from its cover alone. _The deep-seated grudge of a girl whose village was destroyed… permeates every letter…”_

The group spent some time listening to Shinguji's chilling lectures and stories before continuing their exploration through the floor.

* * *

 

“If that doesn’t end up used as a murder weapon I will be severely disappointed,” Iruma put her nose up in sight of the _tiny_ hammer. She was not pleased.

“From what I can gather, it is hollowed from the inside,” Kiibo’s eyes turned back to their normal hue after analyzing the item in Saihara’s hand. “At best you could break glass with it.”

“Is that what it’s for?” Akamatsu wondered.

“The only thing that’d have glass around here would be one of those gag mirrors that you find at carnivals,” Saihara sighed.

“The ones that make you look bigger?” Akamatsu asked.

“Too bad for you Bakamatsu they won’t resize your tits to be as big as mine!” Iruma cackled.

Akamatsu was about to retort to that, but Kiibo interrupted her. “This looks out of place.” The robot pointed at a decoration on the wall. Or rather, a sort of…

“ _Mirror_?” Saihara looked between the hammer and the glass obstacle in front of them.

Iruma pressed herself against the glass and tried to look to the other side. She turned back and said, “Yup, that shit doesn’t add up. It’s not reflecting this part of the hallway, there seems to be too much space on that side.” She moved away from the glass and put her hands on her hips. “I know my tits are huge, but try not to miss and hit them Shyhara.”

Saihara had to hold back an eye-roll. _She just wanted to say that I shouldn’t miss and hit someone by accident. It’s her way of caring._ He drew the hammer back and threw it against the glass, shattering it and revealing an opening to a small room.

“What a fucking letdown,” Iruma cried when she saw nothing in it. “This was a huge waste of my precious time!” The room was small and square shaped. There was nothing in it besides a few running pipes and wires, notwithstanding the broken glass.

“Wait, guys,” Kiibo walked to a darker corner of the room and beckoned the others to follow. “There’s a passage over here.”

He led them through the darkness to another room. They were greeted with a shining light.

“Woah!” Iruma gasped, seeing a huge machine on the other side of the room. The room itself seemed to have wires and technological equipment run from one side to the other, the walls glowing blue. Heavy equipment surrounded the box at the back. “This place is kick-ass!”

Kiibo nodded. “Indeed, this room is well equipped for… something.”

“For a computer room, this is rather large,” Saihara inspected the box that had Iruma practically drooling all over.

“Oh, this baby is _big_. I might just _cumbust_ from the sight alone!”

The three other students shared a unanimous look of discomfort and decided to leave the inventor be with the machine.

“So what is this for? This doesn’t look like a normal computer room,” Akamatsu wondered.

“Some institutions have larger computers to handle more advanced programming, but this size is not only exceptional, but it’s also probably completely unique as well,” Kiibo explained.

“How do you mean?” Saihara asked.

“Well, as far as I am aware, there hasn’t been a need for a computer this size… ever. The size equals whatever program it runs, but I cannot imagine what one could do with this.”

“ _I’m glad you asked_!”

 

“ _Rise and shine, Ursine_ ~!”

“You’re right about that,” Monosuke pointed at Kiibo. “The bigger the size the more it can do!”

“And this one, oh boy!” Monotaro yelled with excitement. “This one can do _so much_ cool stuff!”

“Like?” Akamatsu asked.

“…I forgot.”

The rest of the Monokubs facepalmed.

“It wasn’t that hard to remember!” Monophanie scolded. She turned to the computer and raised her paws high. “This computer can create a whole new world for you to explore!”

“’A whole new world?’” Saihara parroted.

“A simulation, idiots. Do we need to spell it out for ya?” Monokid cussed.

“WITH-THE-RIGHT-MAINTENANCE-AND-PROVISION, YOU-CAN-SIMULATE-A-WORLD-INSIDE-OF-THE-NEO-WORLD-PROGRAM,” Monodam explained.

“Hold up!” Iruma skidded over to where the others were at. “You saying this bitch can fit a whole virtual reality in there?”

“A very life-like one at that!” Monosuke affirmed. “You’d barely even notice the difference between fiction and reality!”

“But then what’s the point of even having it here if there’s no difference?” Monotaro asked. “Or why would they come out from the simulation at all once they’re inside? Isn’t life like a simulation, if you think about it? We’re all playing one big game and constantly losing. Wouldn’t it be better to just live in a world which you yourself made and not suffer the consequences of reality?”

Everyone gaped quietly at the mind-blowing revelation.

“…I think you should lay off the weed, Monotaro,” Monophanie suggested.

“ _So long, Bear Well~!”_

With that existential crisis done with, the students turned to the computer.

“Is it really possible to simulate a world in that?” Saihara turned to Iruma.

“You bet my fine ass it will be! With the absolute size of this thing, I’ll make the most amazing fucking paradise your virgin eyes can witness!” Iruma skipped to the machine and started fumbling with the wires and mechanical parts. “I’m gonna delve deep into this hoe, so make like a tree and fuck off. I’ll be putting all my attention on this thing!”

“A-Ah, is that so?” Kiibo stuttered. He looked a little sad about that. Seeing as Iruma was concentrating on the machine, Kiibo turned around to the other two occupants of the room, only to notice they were already leaving.

“W-Wait for me!” the robot tried to yell out, but his cries were left unanswered. Standing there awkwardly, he slumped down.

“Why am I always alone…?”

 

* * *

 

“Nyeh… all this walking around is making me tired…”

 

“I can carry you if you feel tired, Yumeno-san!”

 

“I’m good.”

 

“I’ll give you a piggy-back ride!”

 

“…”

 

“Or carry you in my strong arms!”

 

“…”

 

“Or I can-“

 

“I’ll manage…”

 

Hoshi shook his head at the two girls in the front.

“Friendship goals,” he chuckled to himself.

“Gonta thinks Yumeno-san and Chabashira-san are two closest people in school,” Gokuhara agreed.

“Though I get the feeling that Chabashira might want to be closer,” Hoshi said.

Gokuhara cocked his head. “…like sisters?”

Hoshi smiled at the innocence of the entomologist and nodded. “Something like that.”

“I am not one to usually gossip,” Tojo murmured. “But it seems Yonaga-san has already occupied that position.”

Hoshi rolled his candy between his fingers. “That’s the weirdest love triangle I’ve ever seen.”

“Gonta did not know love could be triangle shaped…” Gokuhara pouted. The maid and tennis player smiled knowingly and Hoshi patted the giant’s arm.

“You’ll get it when you’re older. Right now, we need to find where this scroll goes.” They had tried opening it, but it didn’t move. It was either glued closed or was never meant to be opened.

“I wonder if it’s going to be another research lab,” Tojo pinched her chin.

“If this garbage has any meaning to it, then it probably opens up my dojo!” Chabashira said surely. “Though no matter what that Monokuma has in store, I won’t be impressed by it! No way!” As Chabashira and Tojo were talking about the possible discovery, Yumeno fell behind a bit to match Hoshi’s step.

“Nyeh… I bet I’m supposed to read the spell written on it,” Yumeno yawned. “But I’m too tired for any magic right now.  I’ll have to regenerate my MP before I can help…”

“I’m sure we’ll find another way to use it,” Hoshi assured. Yumeno didn’t look convinced.

“…Hoshi-kun…” the magician started.

“What’s up?”

“…I’m sorry about… what happened.”

Hoshi raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“The magic show was supposed to be used for good, but in the end…” They both looked at Tojo. “You almost died thanks to my magic show and I could barely do anything to stop it…” It was true, ever since she had turned around and seen Hoshi’s body, guilt had struck her immensely. She had wished she had done something, but after realizing what had happened, she was paralyzed in fear. She was so relieved when he was still breathing, but that did nothing to lessen her guilt.

Hoshi clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Then by what magic did the piranhas die?”

“Nyeh?”

Hoshi didn’t say anything else. He didn’t feel the need to. He just smiled at her and nodded. And that was all that Yumeno needed. She understood.

“Oh, look! There’s a shinobi statue right there!” Chabashira pointed out, interrupting their moment. “Tenko thinks scroll might be used here.”

They went to the statue that Chabashira pointed at. They had been wandering around in the gardens for some time, trying to find any sort of clues.

“This certainly looks in-theme,” Tojo agreed. “But how do we use it?”

Chabashira turned to the magician, grinning. “Hey, Yumeno-san! Why don’t you use your magic to-“

Hoshi stuck the scroll into the mouth of the shinobi. The ground they were standing on started shaking and to their right, trees started falling. From the ground, a large building rose from the dust, neon welcome sign glaring.

“Figured it out.”

“Hey! You degenerate male!” Chabashira ran to him, scowling. “How dare you steal Yumeno-san’s moment of glory?!”

Hoshi shrugged, looking up at her. “She said she was tired. I wasn’t gonna force her to use up any MP she had left for _that_ ,” he stated simply. Chabashira wanted to refute his point, but… well, he _did_ have a point, even if she didn’t like Hoshi being friendly with Yumeno at all. She huffed and walked faster to the dojo.

“Come on, Yumeno-san! This is probably my lab! You’re definitely gonna love it!”

Once the aikido master was some ways off, Tojo raised an eyebrow. “I am impressed by your… understanding of the semantics of Yumeno-san’s talent.”

“It’s not all that difficult,” Hoshi said, shrugging. “You get it down if you listen to her long enough.”

“That is what is impressive. I’ve noticed most people would tune out her constant talk of ‘magic’.”

“Heh, well, guess I’ve always been more of a listener than a talker,” he pulled down his hat and advanced on the dojo.

 It was not what they had expected. Instead of the traditional floor and decorations, it was one platform held up by chains. The mats still smelled fresh. There were many training dummies automatically switching fighting positions and shadow boxing, with one large, giant dummy at the back, like a guardian.

“Yup, definitely an Ultimate Lab,” Hoshi nodded.

“Chabashira-san seems happy,” Gokuhara commented.

Indeed, the aikido master had already thrown a few of the dummies on the ground and flipped them over while the magician simply watched with a bored expression.

“This is great! I can finally practice properly!” Chabashira yelled, hitting one of the dummies with a kick, sending it flying off the platform.

“Yumeno-san, let’s spar!”

“Nyeh… I’d rather- WAAAH!”

The little girl didn’t get a say before she got thrown around. The slam was luckily softened by the heavy mats, which would have usually resulted in broken bones.

“Ow…”

“Yumeno-san, you don’t need to be afraid to express yourself more!”

“The only thing I’m feeling right now is pain…”

“Now, you, Tojo-san!” Chabashira yelled. The girl jumped for the maid, who ducked and sidestepped the girl.

“If you are looking for a sparring partner, I’d be more than happy to oblige,” the maid put her hands together in front of her. “But do not try and get me with an underhanded tactic such as that,” she shot a glare at her.

Hoshi snorted. “Heh, she almost had you though, Tojo-“ Unlike Yumeno, Hoshi barely let out a peep when he was thrown.

“…san,” he breathed out, coughing. Chabashira furrowed her eyebrows at him. Hoshi rubbed his back and sat up, seeing her gaze.

“Why are you glaring like _I_ just threw _you_?” Hoshi questioned, standing up. He strained not to make the question sound harsh, but he did not like getting thrown. His height made it an all too often of an occurrence.

Chabashira didn’t answer. One of the greatest advantages of Neo-Aikido was to see inside the heart of her opponent during sparring, and what she saw in Hoshi’s heart was… troubling for a few reasons. She had slowly started to see that not all men in her class were as bad as she thought, Hoshi definitely being amongst those she knew were better than others. She could have only imagined what sort of turmoil his spirit had to be in to have wanted to die, but she couldn’t have imagined what he truly felt like. Even now, he still felt hollow inside, looking for a purpose. His new classmates had helped him stay grounded, but he still felt lonely. All he wanted was to befriend someone, which is why he was being nice to Yumeno, Chabashira understood. 

“Hmm?” Gokuhara hummed.

“What’s up, big guy?” Hoshi asked.

“…Gonta not sure, but he thinks he see bug again.”

“Where?”

“That’s the thing. Gonta only see for a second.”

“Odd. Are you sure you closed your lab door tightly?”

“Pretty sure. Then again, could just be Gonta.”

“Well, I’m sure we will figure it out. Come on, let’s see if we can find any outside,” Hoshi offered, leading the happy giant outside, still rubbing his back, happy to get away as fast from the dojo as possible to not get thrown again.

“Will Hoshi-kun really help Gonta look for bug?”

“Sure, why not. I’m interested in solving this mystery as much as you are,” he said and rolled another candy cig.

“If you have any need for assistance,” Tojo followed them out. “I’d be happy to assist as well.”

Chabashira bit her lip and looked at Yumeno, who was brushing off her clothes. “Hey, wait for us!” she yelled, grabbing the magician and dashing to catch up with the rest.

“Chabashira-san, do you also want to look for bugs?” Gokuhara asked, surprised. Hoshi also looked surprised but didn’t say anything. He and the aikido master locked eyes and she nodded. “Yeah! What about you, Yumeno-san?”

The magician looked at everyone, then shrugged. “Nyeh… I don’t know how much help I’ll be…” she was certain she was going to fall asleep soon. “But if I see something, I’ll tell you.”

“Let’s go then!” Gokuhara led the group outside on their expedition, looking for the elusive bug.

 

* * *

 

“Momota is just a shit gambler,” I laughed to myself, getting out of the mechanic car. “I’ve been winning coins left and right.”

“I think he just has bad luck,” Saihara chuckled awkwardly, defending his friend.

“Maybe, but if even I’m ranking in chips like this, then he must be the problem.”

“Hey, I can still hear you!” the astronaut yelled from the entrance of the casino, sitting on the chairs, slumped.

“From the knowledge in my databank, most casinos, especially slot machines, are rigged in favor of the house. By my calculations, however, it seems that these ones are more ‘fair’ in the chances of us winning,” Kiibo concluded, ahoge forming into a question mark as he wondered what that meant.

“You would know, right? Aren’t you basically a slot machine?” Oma asked, neighing.

“I am _not_ a slot machine, Oma-kun and I would appreciate it if you kept your robophobic comments to yourself!”

The two kept bickering back and forth in the background, Momota too bummed and depressed to do anything or even notice at all.

Saihara and I had been the only ones to actually win anything and keep it. The rest had either not played or didn’t care enough to keep playing. We went to the counter to check out the prizes.

“What’s… this?” Saihara asked out loud. I leaned over and looked at what he was staring at. A sort of key, colored red, with a heart-shaped handle.

“Well, that’s certainly something,” I said. “Does it say anything about how to use it?”

Saihara bought it and checked it out, but there was nothing. “Weird. This seems more than just a simple gift.”

“You’re a collector, Saihara-kun?” I joked.

“I suppose. Though I don’t know why Monokuma would make this item…”

“Eh, I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon, you’re smart,” I shrugged. I cashed out and left for the exit, waving goodbye.

“Where are you going?” the supreme leader asked, following me.

“To my dorm.”

“Huh? But there’s still so much to do!”

“I’m tired,” I half-lied. The pain was the only thing that was holding me back.

“Where were you during the day?”

“What’s with all these questions?”

“Nishishi… You’ve been acting very weird.”

I rolled my eyes. “Says the right guy...”

“Hey, weird is the norm for me. You, however…” he put his arms behind his back. “You’ve been acting weird ever since the game started. Kind of like Amami-chan, but we know why that is. So what’s your excuse?”

“You’re starting to sound just like him,” I chortled.

“Who?”

  
“ _’Amami_ - _chan’_.” I pushed past him and speeded to the dorms. I locked myself in my room and sighed deeply. I was actually going to the kitchen, but the little shit just had to disturb me. I was going to have to prepare for the next attack, but what the Monokubs said was interesting. According to them, there will be no motive, but that won’t stop the next blackened. I’ll need to keep my ear out. I had done enough lying around for the day without any effect, I needed to start making my next move.

I opened my door slowly and left my room. I should check out the Anthropologist’s lab, at one point. Hopefully when he’s not around. I sighed and pushed my hands deeper into my pockets. So much to do, so much to do… If only I could think clearly….

 

* * *

 

Akamatsu closed her door quietly and snuck to the other side. Coming to the door, she saw someone standing in front of the door.

“Your entourage I assume, Akamatsu-san?” The smooth voice of the anthropologist was unmistakable.

“Good evening, Shinguji-kun. Do you want to you join us for training?” she asked, growing out of her initial fright.

“I prefer to observe. I was unaware of this habit of yours until now, and I am most intrigued,” he hummed smoothly.

“A-Alright then,” Akamatsu wasn’t sure how to take that comment. “Good night, then!”

“And to you, Akamatsu-san.” Shinguji watched the pianist leave. He had noticed some others leave as well, notably Saihara, Shirogane, Amami, Tojo, Hoshi, and Momota. It was an interesting group, he thought. What surprised him most was the addition of the former blackened. He wondered if, at this rate, he would be joining them soon as well.

 

 

“Alright, let’s make this a challenge! Whoever loses has to buy everyone a round of drinks once we get out of here!” Momota challenged everyone. He had been able to drag Harukawa with him as well, after buzzing her intercom until it almost broke. Sadly for her, it didn’t.

“What’s the quota?” Amami asked.

“As many push-ups as you can manage before you give up!” Momota exclaimed and took position. Everyone else followed suit, with general murmurs of annoyance and apprehension. This was going to be a long night.

The first to give up was Shirogane. She let out a loud huff before laying down on the ground, breathing heavily. She was still an otaku at heart.

The next to go was Akamatsu, with Saihara following her soon. The three sat together and watched the rest.

“This looks dumber than it should,” Shirogane snickered, seeing Tojo keeping up with Amami and Momota.

“H-Heh, t-this is… nothing!” Momota boasted, while his two opponents remained silent. Amami’s hands were starting to waver until he finally resigned respectfully.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up,” he laughed and stood next to his friends. Tojo did the same a few seconds after, brushing her skirt clean.

“A good match, Amami-kun, but I don’t think we were in any way capable of winning.”

“Not with this crowd,” Akamatsu muttered, being the second to drop, after all.

 The last two still stan- pushing-up were Harukawa and Hoshi. It wasn’t a surprise, but the intensity was definitely there. Neither of them looked like competitive people, but it was like they both had something to prove because neither looked like they were about to lose. Or maybe they were sore losers, who knows?

“Three-hundred-and-sixty-four,” Harukawa breathed.

“Three-hundred-and-sixty-five,” Hoshi said right after.

It was starting to become clear what Shirogane had found so hilarious. It really was amusing seeing a much longer and thin-limbed Harukawa next to the small and thick Hoshi. Both were starting to sweat by five hundred.

“Five-hundred-and… sixty-six,” Hoshi stuttered.

“…getting tired?” Harukawa almost sounded cocky.

“I was tired three hundred pushes ago,” Hoshi laughed.

“It’s like watching two JoJo characters fight it out,” Shirogane gushed, her weeb side getting the better of her.

“This is definitely getting intense,” Amami admitted.

“Go Harumaki!” Momota cheered. Everyone looked at him in question. “What?” he defended. “There has to be some sort of sign that this is a competition, right?”

“You can do it, Hoshi-kun!” Tojo yelled.

“Beat his ass, Harukawa-san!” Akamatsu shouted.

“Hoshi! Hoshi! Hoshi!” Amami chanted.

The two looked at each other, now with a sharp glint to their eyes. Oddly invigorated, they sped up, trying to out-last and out-push each other.

“Show that normie what for!” Shirogane shouted. Nobody was sure who it was directed to, but nobody cared, they were having too much fun.

Eventually, Hoshi and Harukawa’s intense fight came to a stop at, surprise surprise, a draw.

“What a cliché. It’s like in one of those bad stories where an author is too afraid to choose one character over another!” Shirogane complained.

“Still, you lost, Shirogane-san, so you have to buy everyone a drink!” Momota grinned.

“Actually, nobody won, right?” Harukawa asked.

“Then there is no real loser in that regard,” Hoshi concurred.

“Huh?! But then who is gonna buy the drinks?” Momota was outraged.

“How about the person who came up with the challenge?” Amami offered.

“Everyone in favor say ‘aye’!” Akamatsu said.

“ _Aye_!”

Momota looked betrayed. “You guys are still the absolute worst!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I found out I had lost everything, I was pretty depressed. But as my brother said, "Even Alexiandria's Library burnt down." So, I managed to get a chapter going and beta'd by Nwoops, so we're back in business. For now, anyways. Thank you everyone who left their support, I didn't think I would get this many kudos or positive reviews. Thank you. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, the next update will be whenever, cya then.
> 
> Ciao,  
> RC
> 
>  
> 
> PS. Carcass Jamboree is supposed to be a reference to Corpse Party, because that's the first thing that came to mind.


	14. Love Suite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I felt like it.

I had retired to my room for the night. It was late and the night announcement had already rung. I’d continue my brainstorming tomorrow. I let myself fall face first on my bed as soon as I locked my door, not bothering with anything else.

“Oh, who am I kidding, I’m not gonna get any sleep, might as well do something productive while I’m at it.”

I stood up again, leaving the comfortable sheets behind and sat on the edge of the bed. Sitting idle, though, won’t do me any good, so I stood up and started pacing, trying to think of something, but the constant movement didn’t give me peace of mind. I seriously needed to find some sort of device to calm myself down with. Maybe the casino store had a stress ball or something.

I was drawn from my thoughts by the sound of knocking on my door. Equally curious as well as cautious, I went to check on it. I opened the door slowly, peeking out. On the other side I found an oddly nervous Saihara. I scrutinized him with the raise of an eyebrow.

“If you’re looking for insomniacs anonymous, you’ve come to the right place.”

That got a nervous chuckle out of him, though probably because he wasn't sure if that was meant for real or not.

“Can I help you with something in the middle of the night, Saihara-kun?”

“A-Ah, yes, actually...” he stammered out, clearing his voice. He fixed his posture and regained some of his composure. “Sorry for intruding, but I believe this to be very important. Remember that key I got from the casino?”

I furrowed my eyebrows and nodded suspiciously. “Yeah, kinda hard to forget.”

“Well, I was planning on investigating it.”

“Uh-huh,” I said lamely. “ _Hervorragend_.”

“...”

Saihara coughed into his hand nervously. "I was wondering if you’d accompany me.”

“Oh.” Hell. I had some idea what the key did. It opened the way to the Love Hotel, where the person holding the key would take someone to live out the subject’s romantic fantasies. The question was, why the hecking heck was he asking me? “Uh… why me, though? I’m sure your usual detective buddies would be more than happy to help you out with that.”

He scratched his head and laughed. “I don’t know about that...”

 _I_ knew why he didn’t ask them, but I still wasn’t just going to walk into a bear trap without any attempts from my side. “What about Akamatsu-san? Ask her to help you.”

As expected, Saihara went red in the face. “I-I couldn’t possibly-”

I saved him any further embarrassment. “Momota-kun?”

Saihara cocked his head, his expression contorted. I could sympathize. Monokuma probably already told him about what the key did, so bringing someone like Akamatsu or Momota there was... the first was out of the question and the second was bound to get weird.

“You’re the only one who knows about the key; I haven’t talked to anyone else about it yet. I want to check it out before anyone else finds out about it.”

While the reasoning was understandable, there was the murder to worry about. And I wasn’t too keen to play along in some 50 Shades of Grey fantasy; the only banging that would be going on would be in my head, and not in the figurative sense.

“...You’re gonna bother me until I say yes, aren’t you?”

“Please?” Saihara begged. Those damned gray eyes of his, thrusting this completely unwanted responsibility onto my shoulders. But if I do this now, I can be over with it and could possibly save any future incidents. We will just check it out and then be done with it. It’ll be fine.

“Ugh, fine… Let’s just make it quick.”

What’s the worst that could happen?

* * *

The Love Hotel was overly flashy and red to the point of being tacky. Red neon hearts covered the walls and shone brightly.

“What lovely decoration,” I commented dryly, dreading what was going to happen. While my companion didn't seem to share my pessimism, he was a bit skeptic.

“It certainly looks like a Love Hotel.”

“What were you expecting to find?”

“I don’t know, something more malicious? Something more befitting a killing game,” Saihara admitted. “Then again, we have seen enough weird things that don’t fit a killing game already, so I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Imagine if this really was just a place to live out your fantasies, nothing else,” I put my hands behind my back, reminiscent of a very Oma-esque action, and walked to the main door. “After you, chief.”

Saihara took the key and opened the door. Behind it was a rather large room with a similar décor as the outside. In the middle, however, was a large heart-shaped bed with a horse riding around it, like a carousel. It was a rather odd sight, but we were used to odd sights by now.

“Can’t say I’m disappointed,” I shrugged. “Lives up to its name, if nothing else.” I felt a bit anxious, but tried to not let it show. I had to leave the impression of exactly the opposite; that I was calm, relaxed and maybe even a bit cheerful or lively. None of those described the feeling of gut-twisting dread the neon hearts instilled in me, but I pressed it down and sat on the bed, giving an unfazed look around.

“I don’t know what I expected either,” Saihara chuckled to himself. If it weren’t for the fact that I had spent so long with him, I would have missed the hint of self-deprecation in it. “I guess I was expecting a bit more than this. It looks rather bland, actually.”

“Yeah… guess this is it, huh? So much for the hype,” I laughed. The sheets were nice and warm, but they were doing nothing to ease my anxiety.

Saihara looked around the room, at the different decorations and oddities, before shrugging and turning to me meaningfully. “You… feel anything?”

I shook my head. That seemed to lift a weight off his shoulders. “Whew, guess I was worried about nothing! Well, if there’s nothing else here, then we should be heading out. No point in staying here.”

 _**Wait, what.** _

That feeling in my gut grabbed like someone sinking would grab onto a lifeline. That was not supposed to happen. Saihara was moving away to the door, leaving. Right after coming to the Love Hotel with the thought in mind to use it. And it didn’t work. The realization of it all came crashing down on me so fast that I was afraid I would fall off the bed.

“W-wait!” I said a bit too loudly before I could help myself. I think I even yelled, but the ringing in my ears didn’t let me tell the difference. Saihara stopped and looked back.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” his face contorted in worry so I forced my muscles to relax while red alarms were going off in my head.

_Fuck._

I wasn’t in any trance, I was still in full control of my actions. Did this mean the room did not work? Whatever spell the Love Hotel had it just didn’t work on me? Was it a matter of sexuality? No, even Amami and Momota were completely taken in by the room’s powers, so why the fuck am I not the same? What’s so wrong with me?

“Umm…” I stammered. Think, damn it, think! “Why do we have to leave right away?” Ah, that’s clever. “I -I mean...” What _do_ you mean? “You already called me out here, so...”

Saihara’s brows furrowed for a moment. I didn’t think to concentrate on whether it was suspicion or something else, but instead I hastily added. “S-So we might as well h-hang out or something, y’know? If you want that is!” Wow, what a silver tongue you have. Your speech skill must be 100.

* * *

While I was trying to do the best impersonation of a stone statue that I could, Saihara seemed to consider this. He _had_ called them out quite late and to just call off the investigation just because he was disappointed he hadn’t found anything would be rude. He supposed he could spend some time with his classmate, it couldn’t hurt, right?

What’s the worst that could happen?

“I… suppose?” Saihara answered hesitantly. Was the key starting to take effect? It didn’t look like it. Maybe the change was more subtle than Monokuma made it out to be? Well, if they wanted to stay, then he had to oblige. He had to play the role of the ideal, after all.

* * *

Meanwhile, I was still panicking, trying to find rhyme or reasoning for this. What the hell was I supposed to do? Did I even have any fantasies? The room was supposed to have an effect on everyone except the keyholder, so why not me?! Well, I couldn’t stop now, I already hooked Saihara into my act, now I needed to play along. Play along in this… amorous fantasy. That I’m supposed to have. The thought of that made me go red in the face, something that – damn his detective skills – Saihara took notice of.

“H-Hey are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine!” I said a bit too forcefully.

* * *

They’re going red. Is this… part of their fantasy? He was doubtful, it looked too normal. According to Monokuma, the effects were supposed to bring forth the ‘carnal desires’ of whoever he brings with him. This… didn’t look anything like that. Of course there were other explanations for the sudden reddening, possibly from their imagination-

Saihara shook his head, trying to clear the thought. No, surely not. The signs would be more obvious! It’s probably nothing.

Saihara, impure thoughts gone from his head, walked to the bed and sat on it, making sure to keep a respectful distance away from his classmate. “Sorry to have kept you up so late only for it to be nothing in the end,” Saihara apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “I really thought there was something to find here, but I guess Monokuma was just pulling my leg...”

They seemed to react to that, straightening.

* * *

“O-Oh, no!” I assured. “It’s nothing, really. I’m glad you decided to ask me, Saihara-kun!”

Damn that Monokuma! He had to be behind this! It was surely his idea to put me tin this jam and get me stuck in here with Saihara. But did he know I wasn’t going to fall under the room’s influence? _Ugh_ , then I have no choice but to act along! God damn it, why me…

“It’s fine, really… Hope I’m not imposing on you, asking you to stay, but I…” I swallowed, looking for the right words that would sound appropriate. “Wanted some company.”

Saihara seemed to understand, smiling a bit. “I see. Very well, then, if that’s the case, I’ll gladly keep you company!”

* * *

Noticing that they had fallen silent again, they were staring at him. Very intensely. Saihara, for the life of him, couldn’t figure out what they were thinking. His ears were heating up from the intense stare his companion was giving him, so he forced his gaze away.

OK, so, maybe this _is_ their fantasy. But, what his he supposed to do? What would they like him to do? He tried to draw an overview of their personality and interactions until now, to see how to approach this situation, but… nothing came to. His mind had gone blank, almost like they _had had_ no interactions beforehand. But no, there was that one time in the library, right? So they liked books! Or was that in front of the library? Wait, wasn’t that when Amami was being… Ah, whatever, that's not important right now!

“So, um… I don’t see you around a lot lately,” Saihara said without thinking. He wasn’t sure what made him say that, but it was out.

“Yeah, I’ve been feeling a bit sick,” they answered quickly. “Trying to get a bit of rest.”

“Oh, please, do take care of yourself!” he said, voice filled with worry.

“Don’t worry, I will. I checked out the new labs and whatnot earlier. I just… have a lot on my mind lately…”

* * *

FuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK

OK, alright, calm down. Saihara should be easy enough to string along, right? I just have to act as if… as if I’m into him.

I turned my head suddenly to him, trying to think of something to say. My mouth opened, but nothing but a startled choke came out. It was pathetic and embarrassing. But as luck would have it, Saihara was turned around, wringing his hands together, starting a conversation himself.

“I’m a bit… worried about Harukawa-san. Actually, I’m worried about a lot of things,” he laughed humorlessly. “Her secret talent, the Monokubz promising no motive after overthrowing Monokuma, the motive videos, everything. It’s all putting me in such a spin. And things keep getting weirder and weirder, I don’t know if I can handle it all.”

_You don’t know half of it, Saihara…_

“And I...” he stopped suddenly.

* * *

“And you?” they asked, softly. Saihara raised his head to look at them. The eyes were the gateway to the soul, but Saihara could see nothing beyond the orbs of-

“What about you, Saihara?”

What about him? Back during the first case, hadn’t he stopped in front of the library? He could have saved Amami, but opted to wait for Akamatsu instead. And yet, _they_ had appeared, like a guardian angel to save the day. While Oma had tried to lead them astray, Saihara knew better. The nut husks were probably their doing as well. They were constantly doing his work, stopping murders and silently helping out the investigation. What was he doing?

He sighed heavily. “Nothing. I just… don’t feel like I deserve-”

“I’m going to stop you right there.”

* * *

“You’re going to say something about being a shitty detective, aren’t you? Well, forget about it, I won’t have it. It’s thanks to you that we’ve been able to progress in the class trials. You’re the only one with any credible logic here!” _If it weren’t for you, we would have never reached the end the first time round._ “You have a habit of underestimating yourself and idolizing others. You don’t realize how amazing you yourself are, Detective.”

I couldn't deny I felt a bit of pride when Saihara’s mouth was left ajar, but that pride was quickly crushed as I came back to reality.

This is the low-point of my life; being forced by a sadistic bear to act out my own fantasy to a clueless detective to save my ass. How am I supposed to do this? What sort of fantasies or human desires do I have, if any?

My head burned with intensity, making me wince slightly.

“H-Hey! Are you alright? You look hurt!” Saihara was immediately at my side, of course, making me feel even more uncomfortable due to the close proximity.

“A-aha, I’m fine, I’m fine! Just a bit tired. Long day of exploring, y’know?”

“...If you say so…” he looked unconvinced, but sat back down. Clearly anxious, he changed the subject. “I wonder if Iruma-san will get the computer working.”

“I’m sure she will, but whether that will be a good thing or not…” Could I maybe disable the program completely and stop the 4th case from happening entirely? Fat chance, considering it’s Iruma. Her setup would take an expert to shut down, I doubt I could just pull a plug or spill some water on it and be done with it. The 4th trial is going to be such a mess…

* * *

_They’re deep in thought. Something must be really wrong. I wonder if there’s something I can do for them? I don’t think… I’ve realized until now how much they’ve actually done, have I? They were there when Amami was attacked, then they were there to break Hoshi’s tank… They’ve done so much for us, so I should be able to let them confine in me._

And again, though it’s a bit underhanded, Saihara wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity to learn more about his classmates. Even though it’s nature is less than ethical, the Love Hotel does have its uses.

“If there’s something troubling you, you can always tell me, you know…”

They laughed. “Heh. Thanks for the offer, Saihara-kun. I’m glad you care – and who knows, I might even share one day – but my burdens are mine to carry. But that’s what I like about you. Ever the caring detective, always putting others before yourself. You take after Akamatsu a lot, don’t you?”

“E-Eh? What do you mean?”

Saihara wasn’t sure what they meant by that comment, but it didn’t feel right anymore. Sure, Akamatsu was a good friend, but… recent events had left him feeling odd. Maybe they were right, though. What sort of detective was he supposed to be? He needed to man up! People depended on him!

* * *

“Oh please, you stick to her like glue, following her every word and action like a lost puppy...” I feign jealousy. That’s in character, right? Or am I not allowed to bring up other people? Aw, shit, too late now. I scooted a bit closer to him, making my breath slur a bit. “But I don’t want to talk about the others… Not right now at least… Let’s forget about them.”

“E-Eh?!” Saihara was very obviously taken aback by the sudden advance and tried to move away, to which I gave no quarter. He moved back and I only followed suit, my breath hot and heavy. “I’d like it if tonight… it’d just be us two...”

Saihara was getting really red, making a grin break on my face. “W-What’s gotten into you?”

“What’s wrong, _Shuichi~_? I’m not making you uncomfortable am I?” Saihara’s eyes were wide now, trying to slowly realize what I was trying to do. He backed away across the bed, making me crawl across it. Saihara’s back hit the wall, having me effectively corner him.

“I mean, there has to be a reason you called _me_ here, riiiight~?”

Saihara was starting to sweat, not sure what to do in this situation, very clearly cramped and uncomfortable. It looked like he’d rather be _anywhere_ rather than here. His lips were quivering in the shape of a protest, his hand lightly outstretched in a sign of defense. Was I going too far?

* * *

Like lightning they drew back, burying their face in their hands. They were half way across the bed, far away from Saihara’s reach, slouched over, trying to make themselves as small as humanly possible.

Saihara was startled more by this sudden change than by the former advance. His hand still hung there in the air, lightly outstretched. Then an odd question entered his mind. Had he failed his job? He was supposed to play along with the fantasies, but the moment had been too much for him. He wasn’t even sure if he had a character to play, but now he was certain that he had broken some sort of unspoken rule, seeing his friend slouched over, miserable. Monokuma had said that as the keyholder, it was his job to play his partner’s ideal and he had failed his one job. He felt terrible.

“I’m so sorry,” they mumbled through their hands. “I… I don’t know what got over me. That was not right.”

Saihara wanted to say something, anything to make the situation better. How it was his fault for breaking character, his fault for making them feel vulnerable in their moment and then reacting in such an off putting way, making them embarrassed. But in those few seconds, he thought that maybe he had finally recognized some emotion from his mysterious classmate. Longing. Maybe that’s all they really wanted? In those few seconds, he found an emotion akin to his own. He wasn’t quite so sure what exactly was bothering them, but he felt a kinship in insecurity, a familiarity in their troubles. He could only hope he could ease those, with time. If he couldn’t solve them, it was his duty as a detective and as a fried to help out.

Saihara looked at his outstretched hand and moved closer. Reaching them, he put his hand on their shoulder and squeezed.

They removed their hands and peered at him. He smiled and sat next to them. A lot of words were left unspoken, Saihara knew that. That was fine by him. He wasn’t going to push anything more, not tonight. But he still wanted to convey one more thing before the night would end.

* * *

At one point, I stopped caring about acting. I let my usual mask of nonchalance drop and leaned slightly into Saihara. Maybe it was the room finally getting to me. Must’ve been. It couldn’t be that I actually enjoyed this, could it? Nah. Definitely not. Probably not. It was funny, I realized. Two people were acting for the other, trying not to break the other’s immersion. In the detective’s eyes I saw what I thought was understanding. Imagine that. Him, understanding? I wondered if he understood anything. But that didn’t matter. My fantasy didn’t matter. Monokuma didn’t matter. The murders didn’t matter.

Saihara had been quiet for a while, until he turned my attention around to him. “If you want… We can try again...”

Nothing mattered. I embraced the comfort and the warmth.

For that night, I forgot all about the pain in my head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry late Christmas everyone! I wanted to get it out for Christmas day, but didn't quite make it, sadly. How're your holidays going? Hope you're having a wonderful time!  
> This is a small Christmas present, I guess. Not the chapter anyone asked for, but the chapter you got. I don't usually do romance, so hopefully this is acceptable.
> 
> And let me say WOW! I know it's on 99 right now, but basically 100 kudos! Fucking hell, I didn't think I'd make it this far so soon. Thank you to every single person who left their support on this fic! I am so ever grateful for you! It has been a hell of a year! Once again, I would like to thank my beta Nwoops, really couldn't be here without them, need to stress this every time! Thanks once again and I will see you all next time!
> 
> Hope you have wonderful holidays and I will already wish you a great and successful New Year!  
> Cheers,  
> RC


	15. Everything that exists casts a shadow

\- Free Time -

 

From a bystander’s perspective, the stare Oma was giving the note board should have rightfully set the thing aflame. The supreme leader had put up a little map involving all of the students, neatly linking pictures and writing his most important observations on it.

Amami’s and Akamatsu’s were linked with a dashed line, with Akamatsu having the word ‘puppet’ underlined. Another, more prominent line connected Amami’s and Shirogane’s pictures, the latter having been circled around many times and the word ‘MASTERMIND’ written spitefully across it. Of course, Tojo’s and Hoshi’s portrait’s were also connected, though there were no snarky comments present.

His own picture was removed from the rest by a noticeable margin, a small crown drawn above the picture. Saihara’s picture was also pulled a bit away from the rest. ‘Passive, rational’ with a squiggly underline. Momota’s had the word ‘complete idiot’ and Harukawa’s had

‘ **ASSASSIN. DO NOT TRUST!!!!!** ’

 

All of the other pictures were left as is. He had been able to find these pictures in the academy’s storage, which didn’t surprise him. After all, it would make sense for a school to have pictures of its students. What was interesting, though, was the fact that he could only find sixteen pictures. He wasn’t quite sure _why_ it was interesting, until he remembered how many people he had met. He counted sixteen talents. Again, nothing was amiss, everything was normal, so he initially shrugged it off. Until he somehow broke through whatever was holding him back and realized what was wrong, but only barely. They had yet another rat in their midst.

He had made a seventeenth box, completely separated from the rest with the silhouette of a person, but instead of any features there were only question marks, because for the life of him, he could not remember any. As time passed, he had managed to write down a few questions like ‘name?’ ‘talent?’ ‘ENEMY?’, but found the sight surprising every time he revisited it. He concentrated on it again, trying to remember every detail of his utilitarian writing so he wouldn’t forget it this time.

Oma had currently three people he needed to keep an eye on. Shirogane fell out of that list; thank god for Iruma’s loud mouth and useful hands, the cameras she had set up in front of Shirogane’s door were certainly of use and the rest of the students would certainly keep their own eye on her. No, Harukawa was the current biggest threat. She was a murderer and he was certain she would receive the Shirogane treatmentTM soon enough. Then there was the mystery student of course, and Shinguji. The anthropologist had recently found his lab, as well as Chabashira and Yonaga. If Oma was following the pattern of earlier trials - similar to when Hoshi’s and Tojo’s labs were opened – then, he fell under the most likely category to be the next blackened. Yonaga was certainly creepy as hell, what with her cult she believed was a legitimate religion and Chabashira being herself. They were all dangerous, but only Shinguji had the air about him that defined a blackened. He would have to keep his eyes out. If things went well, then maybe…

Oma almost wanted to laugh at that. That was too optimistic of a thought. The Monokubz were lame; Monokuma certainly had something in store for all of them. Nothing good could possibly last.

Certain of his plan, Oma left his room, throwing his hands behind his head, whistling a tune, thinking on the fifteen other potential threats stuck with him in the school.

 

* * *

 

“Ah- there it was again!”

“Hmmm… I think I almost saw it this time.”

“Really?”

Hoshi thought about what to answer with. They had been searching outside for the bugs that Gokuhara had been seeing ever so often, but Hoshi hadn’t noticed anything until now. He didn’t doubt Gokuhara’s sanity, but maybe it was just some bugs that wanted to get out? There was something weird about it and Hoshi really didn’t want to have to worry about it.

Oddly enough, Shirogane had joined them on their search, but wasn’t doing a lot of searching. Hoshi was suspicious of her intentions, but she seemed more interesting in observing than actually _doing_ anything odd or bad, so maybe he was just overthinking.

“Have you found anything?” he decided to ask the girl.

She gave a mysterious smirk that held a hidden meaning. “Maybe. You mean right now?”

“I mean at all.”

“Now that’d be cheating, and nobody likes a cheater, ain’t that right?” she said with the voice of a game show host asking a crowd. Hoshi sighed, but the look in her eyes said something to him. He furrowed his eyebrows and crouched down, looking for bugs. Her attitude was annoying him, but there was something between the lines he was missing. It probably had something to do with Monokuma. Was she not allowed to help them? Would the bugs somehow clue them in how to escape?

 

“Gokuhara-kun, your bugs are all in their cages, right?” Shirogane asked, making conversation.

“Oh, yes! Gonta make sure no bugs can get out while Gonta not around.”

“Though you mostly deal with crawlers, right?”

Gokuhara tilted his head in confusion. “Uh… most bugs in lab are ‘ _crawlers_ ’, Shirogane-san, if you mean that.”

“Yeah, that’d make sense,” she shrugged. “I mean, whenever you’ve seen one of these bugs, you’re walking around on campus, right? So I doubt you’d find anything on the ground from your lab.”

Hoshi looked up at her with a raised eyebrow and she looked down at him with an indifferent face. “Is that a hint, Shirogane?”

“A hint? No, just guessing, really.” She kicker her legs up from where she was sitting and skipped around on the grass, arms stretched out. Like an airplane.

Shirogane made buzzing sounds with her mouth and flapped her arms. “Just a hunch.”

Or like a bird.

“Hey, Gonta-kun,” Hoshi suddenly said. “Have you tried looking in the trees?”

“Huh? The trees?” the entomologist repeated. “No, not really. Gonta mostly just look for bugs on the floor. Do you mean like bees or flies, Hoshi-kun?”

“Exactly, big guy,” the tennis player smiled, noticing Shirogane ‘fly’ away from the two of them, headed for the school. He watcher her go, torn. What was going through that girl’s head? He would never know and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but something told him she had indirectly helped them out, which was probably what she had been trying to do all this time.

“Time to broaden our horizons.”

 

* * *

 

After the search turned out to be fruitless, the search party scrambled. Gokuhara was walking on the gress towards the main building.

“Heeya, Gonta!” Angie popped up from behind him, suddenly falling in step with him.

“Oh, hello Yonaga-san! Good afternoon!”

“Good afternoon! What’ve you been doing, Gonta?”

“Gonta think he see some suspicious bugs, so he and Hoshi go search.”

“I see, I see! Did you find any?”

Gonta shook his head sadly. “No. No bugs. Even Shirogane help us, though, and we come close to catching some! Gonta sure he see some!”

Angie smiled widely and skipped the steps beside him. “Gonta is doing such a good job, Atua is very proud! In fact, Atua would like to ask for your assistance in something!”

 

* * *

 

“Monokuma, you rat bastard,” I hissed. I had secluded myself in one of the empty halls of the schoolhouse, looking for the headmaster. “If you don’t show your face, I will-”

“Do what, exactly?” The bear waddled in around a corner. “Punch me a thousand times? Upupupu…”

“Why the hell did you tell Saihara to ask _me_ to go with him to the Love Hotel and why didn’t it work on me?”

Monokuma made a motion of realization. “Oh, so that’s what you wanted to ask about? Shouldn’t you be more worried about-… then again, there _is_ nothing else to be worried about, huh? Upupupu…”

I narrowed my eyes and shot him the meanest glare I could manage. “The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Aw, shucks, kiddo, what do I know? After all, I was overthrown by me own kids! Can you believe it? It sure sucks being a single dad...”

“Answer me, you stupid-”

“Don’t take that tone with me!” Monokuma yelled, jumping up and grabbing on to me. “You may think you’re hot shit, but don’t forget who’s in control here. I know why you came to me. You’re worried about why you didn’t have any fantasies, is that it? Well, the most straightforward answer is, we couldn’t choose.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, are we doing 20 questions? OK, my turn! What’s your favorite color? If _you_ can come up with a choice this time!”

I closed my eyes. _Provocation_. Two can play this game. “You did nothing to stop me.”

Monokuma fell silent.

“Does that mean I have _card_ _blanche_?”

The bear laughed. “Aren’t you a comedian. Tell you what, kiddo, you keep doing what you’re doing and you might see some answers at the end of the road. I’m not feeling so generous right now. Tough day.” Monokuma walked away. “But if you must know why you, then I must ask you an honest question,” he looked back. “ _Who_ _else_?”

He disappeared once more, leaving me with more questions than answers. Of course he wasn’t going to give me a straight answer, but even Naegi had had an easier time than me. I groaned and pushed against the wall. What was I going to do?

 

“Oh, hey,” a soft voice spoke. I moved my eyes to see Saihara out of the corner of my vision. I pushed myself from the wall. So I wouldn’t look suspicious, that is.

“Y-Yo,” I said. I didn’t smile, I swear I didn’t. “What’s up, Saihara?”

Saihara approached me and there was this awkward aura around us. The memory of the Love Hotel was still fresh, but I wasn’t supposed to remember anything.

Saihara seemed to have the same sort of awkward stumble about him. “I-I was wondering if you could come along with me. There’s something you should see.”

_Again? Oh god, please let it not be another Fifty Shades of Gray lime._

“U-Uh… where, exactly?”

“Shinguji-kun said he found something strange in his lab this morning he wanted us to see.”

Now that was odd. I don’t remember anything supposedly happening at this time. What could there be to see?

 

* * *

 

“And you say you do this for your sisters?” Akamatsu asked again.

Amami sighed, but kept his smile on. “Yes, Akamatsu-san, who else?”

“Well, I think it’s cute!

“Spoiled,” Shirogane quipped.

“Don’t be such a spoilsport, Shiro-chan,” Akamatsu chastised. “You’re just bitter you don’t have any siblings of your own.”

Shirogane was about to say something in defense, but dropped it.

“Do you have any siblings, Akamatsu-san?” Amami asked, reapplying pain on the brush before getting back to painting her nails. Shirogane was staring at her own violet colored ones. Whatever she thought of Amami himself, he sure could paint nails.

“I do. A twin sister.”

“Oh? What’s it like, having a twin?”  
“Well, it’s like…” Akamatsu thought of how to best say what she felt. Her sister was something special and indescribable to her, something so natural. Abruptly having to describe her was difficult. “It’s like having an instant best friend from birth, I guess. Some people aren’t very close to their siblings, but I can say with certainty that she’s the most important person in my life. We would always spend time together, and as kids that would usually mean playing pranks on someone.”

“The goody-two-shoes Kaede? Playing pranks?” Shirogane laughed.

Amami shook his head in disbelief. “Can’t imagine it.”

“C-Come on guys,” Akamatsu stuttered. “I’m not that prude, am I?”

The twin looks of Shirogane and Amami made Akamatsu shrink.

The two former laughed, seeing their leader wilt so easily.

“Come on, Akamatsu-san, we’re only kidding,” the green haired boy assured.

“Eh, I dunno, Rantaro,” Shirogane teased. “Though I am curious about your sister. What happened to her?” she told the blonde.

“Well, where before we would share everything, we now had our own friends, our own clothes, our own interests. We grew apart. I learned piano, she took up violin. Though we’re still roommates and closer than ever!”

Amami smiled to himself. “I wonder what that’s like. I only had little sisters, so I’ve only ever taken care of people. But I wouldn’t change that for the world.”

“I’m thankful for my sister,” Akamatsu said in response. “I don’t know what I would do without her. She’s always been there for me and understand exactly what I mean. Whenever I’m in trouble, I can always count on her to support me.”

“Thanks to my sisters, I’ve had to mature very quickly and I’ve had to look over them, but they’ve also taught me a lot. They’ve helped me through a lot of though times, me I’ve done the same to them. Some think this has made me a bit cold, but whatever the case may be, I’m forever grateful.”

The two of them slowly fell into silence. It was enjoyable.

Shirogane felt awkward there, despite herself. She didn’t want to, but she really felt the need to get up and run away. These nice people were bonding over their shared love for others. And what did she have? The killing game everyone hated. She was thankful that the two others were oblivious to her presence, caught up with their own thoughts.

 

Her savior turned out to be tall, dark and creepy. The door opened and Shinguji stepped in.

“Ah, Shinguji-kun, welcome to my parlor!” Amami welcomed warmly. “Would you like me to braid your hair?”

The anthropologist tensed a bit, but quickly forced a chuckle. “Thank you for the offer, Amami-kun, but I must decline. Actually, I came here for Akamatsu-san. If you have a minute?”

“Oh? What is it?”

“I’ve found something of interest. And if Shirogane-san would come as well, I’m sure she could explain what it is.”

Shirogane sighed and shrugged. “I was enjoying myself, but sure, whatever. Let’s go, Akamatsu. Thank you very much for the nails, Amami.”

The adventurer laughed and waved to them. “Of course, come back any time!”

 

* * *

 

“So what the hell _is_ this?” Akamatsu asked.

The hellish thing in question was a book, covered in carvings and runes of mysterious natures, with a round pebble like object in the middle of it. It looked like a Halloween prop.

Shinguji raised a finger. “At first, I thought the letters were Arabic, but that turned out to be false. Upon further inspection, I realized this was a book of power not unlike that of the caged child village one. However, I do nor recognize it or its possible origins.”

“What’s so weird about that?” I asked.

“In such a case, I would merely write it off as a prop. But I can _feel_ the power of the mystic arts on the pages. This is genuine.”

“So what is it?” Saihara asked.

“It’s the Necronomicon,” Shirogane explained.

“What, like the H. P. Lovecraft type?” Saihara asked, astonished.

“What, no, you daft? This is the _real_ shit. Actual occult books. This can _raise the dead from their graves_.”

That Halloween prop was of course the 3rd motive. Instigator of double murder and the real beginning of my troubles.

“It can raise the dead?” And object of wonder for the resident anthropologist.

“Yup, sure can. Or do you not believe in magic, Shinguji-kun?” Shirogane asked in a smug voice. The book was used as a means to spread doubt between the students and turned out not to be the main motive of the double murder after all. But now, things were a bit different.

“So what is it doing here?” Akamatsu asked.

“When I came to my lab this morning, I found it here,” Shinugi explained.

“The Monokubz must’ve left it here,” Shirogane thought. “It’s the only rationale explanation I can think of. This was one of the motives, but seeing as nobody died, there’s little point in it, so they probably decided in just leaving it in your _capable hands_.”

Of course, she was withholding the most important part of the gambit. That someone might use it to resurrect someone. But nobody had died in the school, so who to use it on, _right_?

I looked at Shinguji, then the book. His face was covered by the mask, so I couldn’t clearly tell his expression. But his eyes were glued to the book. His hands were going towards the cover, about to flip it open-

“I propose we dump this in Pandora’s Box,” I said. They all look at me with interest. “I-It’s the safest thing to do. Didn’t we agree that we’d do so with all the motives?”

“It was so with the motive videos,” Akamatsu was apprehensive. “But this sounds rather dangerous, so I think putting it somewhere where nobody could access it would be a good idea.”

“I can assure you it will be safe right here, Akamatsu-san,” Shinguji said, not willing to give away the book.

“I can sympathize with your hesitation, Shinguji-kun,” Saihara suddenly said. “But we can’t rule out anything the Monokubz give us. It’s too suspicious. We need to lock this up.”

I was surprised by Saihara’s insistence at my idea, but with both Akamatsu and Saihara on my side, Shinguji had no choice. He grudgingly handed the book over.

“I’ll make sure this gets to Iruma,” I said. “I’ll go see her immediately. Thank you.”

They all nodded, Shinguji more bitterly than the rest.

 

* * *

 

“Huh? Yeah, I’ve got the bitch right here!” Iruma kicked a large box at her feet, which opened like a garbage can. It was black and had glowing blue Xs on all of its sides.

“Pandora’s Box,” I said in wonder. “And this thing can hold anything?”

“I’ve already gathered all the tapes in here, so all you have to do is throw in the Negro-whatever and we’re set!”

I looked up. “I don’t… think you can really say that anymore in this century, Iruma-san.” I put the book inside the box and close the lid. The Xs flashed and I could feel a puff of air hit my legs.

Iruma bent down and fiddled with the box. “Alright, now this bitch will be shut tighter than a virgin’s-”

“We already heard that one, pig-slut!” Oma giggled. “Is your brain that filled with cum that you can’t come up with new jokes?”

“Agh!” Iruma moaned at the insult.

Kiibo stepped in to defend the inventor. “Oma-kun! Would you stop harassing people constantly!”

“Huh?” Oma made a face of confusion. “That’s weird. I didn’t think _you_ would know anything about people, Kiibo! After all, I thought being hated by them would make you hate them back!”

The robot boy grumbled. “I am just as human as anyone else! What makes a human is their sense of purpose and will-”

“Nooo, what makes a human is blood, heart and a brain. Not ink, metal and a hamster running inside a ball.”

Kiibo was about to retort, but I put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t enable him, it’ll only make it worse for you. Anyways, thanks for the help, Iruma.”

“You’re welcome, shitlord! And don’t you forget the girl genius who made this all possible!”

I was already on my way out halfway through her speech. Iruma scoffed and turned back to the giant computer she had been working on in the computer room.

 

Oma, though, followed me out. Had I known better, I would have run, but I didn’t think anything of it. That would prove to be a fatal mistake that night.

 

* * *

 

Kiibo, left alone once more, sulked out of the computer room.

He couldn’t help but feel like he had done something wrong. He had tried to fit in with everyone. He knew it was going to be hard, but he was sure it would be manageable. Even with Oma’s robophobia, it should have been possible. But every day that passed, Kiibo felt more and more cast out. He felt like he didn’t belong, like nobody paid any attention to him.

 

“Does everyone actually hate me?”

“Of course not!” The robot was startled by the cheerful voice of the Ultimate Artist. “What’s got you down, Kiibo?”

“Oh, hello, Angie,” the robot knew the girl didn’t mind being referred to differently than their classmates. “It’s nothing.”

“No, no. If you’re this sad, it’s not nothing! Angie can tell, something is bothering your soul!”

The robot laughed humorlessly. “My soul? I don’t have a soul… I’m just a robot…”

“Of course you have a soul!” Angie exclaimed. “All of Atua’s creations have a soul, even you!”

That caught his attention. “I do?”

“Of course, of course! You’re not hated by everyone, Kiibo! Angie likes you, and so does Atua! In fact, Atua loves you very much!”

As the artist talked more and more, Kiibo was drawn in by her words. Maybe things weren’t so bad after all.

 

* * *

 

 

I wanted to go back to my dorm, but I felt the presence of something following me. It didn’t take long to figure out Oma had taken the liberty of stalking me, though he wasn’t being entierly subtle.

“Again, Oma? We got to stop meeting like this. People will start to talk…”

The boy neighed, jumping out from his hiding spot. “Oh, they will be, if you’re not careful. And are you sure you’re not the Ultimate Hide and Seek Master?”

“I would know if I was,” I said. “Can we make this quick? I wanna go to sleep.”

“Hah, you’re certainly not the Ultimate Liar!”

“Get to the point already.”

“I want to know your secret,” he said finally.

“My what?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, _partner_. You know what I’m talking about.”

 _Oy vey,_ I should have expected this. Sooner or later, he was going to pull the trigger.

“Aren’t we all entitled to keep some secrets?”

“Not from me. I thought we were supposed to work together?” he said in a hurt tone, like I had betrayed him.

“I don’t see why I should.”

Oma took half a second, like he was concentrating heavily, to say: “Well, if you want people to start talking about you, then I’m sure that can be arranged. After all, I’m not the one who startled Tojo-chan in the gym.”

His one bargaining chip. What he’d use until the end of the game unless I turned the tables on him.

“You were there to save Amami-chan and you reacted instantly to Hoshi-chan’s predicament. You seemingly knew the mastermind’s plan down to a T and were able to clear Akamatsu’s name. And all this time, Monokuma has made you take zero repercussion for anything you’ve done, despite being the most suspicious person out of all of us.”

This wasn’t good. He was being too nosy. I couldn’t easily wiggle myself out of this one like I had done before.

“So tell me, how do you do it? How do you get away with all of it? Should we all be suspecting you of being the mastermind’s accomplice?”

“What? No, that’s absurd.”

“I’m all ears, then. How do you know so much.”

I try to push past him. I needed to get out of here _now_.

“I won’t take no for an answer,” he smiled and stepped in front of me again.

“I’m just-”

“You’re _not_ at the right place at the right time.” That high pitched voice.

He was really starting to get on my nerves. “Look, Oma, I’m just lucky, alright?”

“Is that what your Ultimate Talent is? Because I sure don’t remember what it could be.” That smug and know-it-all attitude.

Oma would eventually become a nuisance. But this was so inconvenient. “Go away, Oma. There are some things best left untold…”

“Nishishi, you think so? Well, too bad, cuz I really don’t care what you think. I just want to know how you were able to bend the rules without Monokuma doing anything. Or should I just tell everyone right now that you’re the new mastermind?”

“Monokuma was too eager to out his other accomplice, why would he be so lax with-”

“Because apparently nobody suspects you but me,” he said in a voice so cold it made a chill run down my spine. “Isn’t it _odd_? Nobody questions your actions, asks you for alibis, you never take part in the investigations and you’re always _so crucial_ in solving everything.”

“Oma, _stop_.”

“Why should I? I have all the right to suspect you, but something is stopping me.”

“Oma, you’re getting into something that even I don’t understand.”

Oma grabbed me. “That sounds a lot like a _you_ problem _,_ because I only care about how you’re doing all of this.” His condescending tone.

I had been trying to hold back, but it was all too much. He had split my last string. His voice, his mannerisms, his everything was getting to me. Everything he had done during the killing game, everything I had tried to push down and ignore was coming back to me. How he had manipulated everyone, how he had toyed with us. How he had _killed Miu and Gonta._

I punched him square in the jaw.

 

At that moment, anything I had felt was gone. All the stress, the anxiety, the anger, the everything…

 

One time wasn’t enough.

 

Two times weren’t enough.

 

Three times weren’t enough

 

Again

 

Again

 

Again

 

 

 

 

Againagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagain

againagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainag

ainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagain

againagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i had stopped counting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

my hands were numb

 

 

 

 

 

 

the world around me lost its colors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

only pink was left on my fists

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I came to, I held onto my head, then doubled over in pain, the headache getting worse. It jabbed against my lobe, against my sides, against everything. It felt like worms were crawling inside of me, like a rock was pushing its way outwards, like a tree was growing tall inside of my brain. I couldn’t take it. I screamed into my pillow.

 

After a few minutes, I got used to it. I slowly lifted myself and the first thing I did was look at my hands. Clean. No blood.

 

I heard a noise. I think that was me chocking but I wasn’t sure. I turned upwards and sat on my bed, but the movement made my head spin. I dashed to the bathroom, ready to hurl my insides down the toilet.

My head was becoming clearer, but that wasn’t a good thing. It allowed thoughts to fill the gap the pain had left.

 

 

 

 

(he got what he deserved)

(that is not up to us)

(we were supposed to help not kill)

(the snap was going to be eventual)

(youre terrible)

(cant even do this much right)

(that was really unnecessary)

 

 

 

 

“Shut up!” I yelled at nobody. The voices died down. I pressed my head against the bathroom wall and stared emptily at the wall.

 

I felt like crying, but at this point I doubted if I was capable of even that. I stared down at my hands, shaking. I pushed myself up, slowly this time. I could barely move at my head. I kept looking down, the light casting a… the light cast nothing. There was absolutely nothing there. Despite the lamp being right above me, I saw nothing. I wasn’t sure why that unsettled me so much, but then, my senses started coming back to me. I asked the question I didn’t want to ask.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Where is _my_ shadow?”


	16. Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum

It’s morning again, I think. I missed the sound of the morning announcement, because I couldn’t hear. I couldn’t think. Could barely stand. Used to the new flood of pain, by now. Doesn’t help with anything. Given up on the upcoming trial and the murder altogether. Zero point; can’t concentrate.

I pushed myself up. Stomach grumbled. Breakfast.

 

In hallway I passed Momota and Saihara. Latter looked at me. With worry. I rushed out. Tried not to run. I didn’t listen to what they said.

 

Tojo made breakfast. Delicious, probably. Couldn’t taste it anymore. Disappointment.

Broken radio plaid. Loud static. I turned around, Tojo’s mouth stopped moving.

“ _Pardon, pouvez-vous répéter cela?”_ I asked as politely as I could manage.

 _Something_ in her face changed. “Did you perhaps miss the announcement? We’re to meet in the gym.”

I nodded with an open mouth and continued eating. It was a solid ten seconds after she left that I realized I spoke in French.

 

At the gym, Akamatsu told everyone about the Necronomicon, like the good leader she is. Knew what was gonna happen; didn’t pay much attention. Shinguji looked disappointed still.

Yonaga agreed with Akamatsu’s decision but was mad that she wasn’t asked beforehand.

‘If anyone knew about it, they might try to stop us,’ Saihara defended his friend.

Yumeno saiad we should only do what Atua allows us to do. Shared confusion. ‘Atua?’

Yonaga announced her Student Council. ‘For the sake of everyone’s safety!’

‘Why is this necessary?’ Momota asked. ‘Everything is fine as is.’

‘Something something Atua’s guidance. Blah blah live in his harmony.’ I stopped listening to the broken record that was Angie’s voice. A choir singing off-tune in my ear.

I leave the gym. Head hurts. Can’t concentrate. I’ll nail my protest to her door later.

 

* * *

 

Shirogane sighed, jumping on her bed. To think she would have once joined their ranks – the ‘Student Council’. Morons. At least now she didn’t have to pretend anymore. Didn’t have to put on a plain face and act like one of them. Which seemed to do wonders for her popularity, somehow. Even Akamatsu seemed to like this side of her more than her plain self. Maybe she should have taken on a bit more of a sassy persona with a secret heart of gold? Kind of like Iruma, but likable.

 

“Oh, how the great have fallen from grace.” There it was. That flesh grinding voice. That high pitch that would burst any ear drum too weak to _bear_ it.

“Monokuma,” Shirogane said in apt monotone. “I locked my door.”

“Yes?”

“That means nobody can enter it.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize we were role-playing. Should I have brought the dice and drinks?”

Shirogane sighed and rolled over to face the bear. He was standing on her bed, hands behind his back, looking like a sleazy car salesman looking to sell you a Honda for the price of a Porsche.

“A social visit?”

“In this day and age, nobody has time for social visits, deary. Everyone’s so _busy_. Everyone has plans and schemes, they don’t have time to sit back and enjoy themselves! And burnout…” Monokuma laughed. “Is a heck of a motivator to do as much until the eventual snap.”

Shirogane regarded him with disdain. “Get to it then, schemer.”

“Aww, you used to be one too, remember, lil’ miss Ultimate Mastermind? Remember all those plans you had, those nights wasted planning this whole thing out? I’ve noticed you’ve taken it upon yourself to undo a lot of that.”

“Are you _threatening_ me?” Shirogane was about to burst a lung from laughter. Did this bear really come here to flex his power over her?

“Hardly,” he said with a menacing grin. “I’ve come here to offer you a deal. A ‘load from last save’, if you will. Wasn’t it you who so desperately wanted this world? It was you who planned _all of this._ And I mean **all of it** _._ Every little detail of this reality is hand-crafted by you; you can’t tell me you’re this eager to give it all up.”

Shirogane bit her lip. So that was his angle. The traitor ploy. The spy subplot. A wonderful twist in the first season – quaint little callback to be used again in the last one.

‘ _Betray your friends for your own benefit.’_ Something she had been doing up until now anyways.

“And what? You make me the mastermind again? You get to torment these fools some more?”

“Your privileges as a mastermind would be returned, some of them. You’d be back on your golden throne. Think about it; nobody would suspect you _now_! It’s too late in the game. And you know what they say; if you’re fresh meat, kill, and throw them something fresher…”

 

A fierce pounding on Shirogane’s door made the cosplayer’s attention adverted from Monokuma. When she looked back, the bear was gone. Shirogane went to the door and slowly opened it.

“Oh, it’s you.” And not for the first time.

They looked _terrible._ And that was an understatement. They looked broken, battered, absolutely discombobulated. They looked like they wanted to jump out of their own skin, a feeling she was much familiar with. They looked at her with a glassy expression. As a cosplayer, she could read posture easily. This one was filled with uncertainty. She could easily tell fear and fright as well. Anxiety, stress. A thousand other things that she didn’t care to list until night time came. But they were there, staring at her, pleadingly, waiting to say something. Waiting for something out of her as well, but whatever that was, she couldn’t guess.

Their mouth moved, barely forming sentences. They were heaving heavily. They had been running. Sweat was lightly covering their brow. They looked like they had just been in a car crash. No, they _looked_ like the car crash.

 

“What…” they asked. “What am I?”

 

Mastermind that she was, she could have said a hundred things. Something pleasant, something cruel, something that might break whatever was left of what’s standing in front of her now. It was a mess and it was not her responsibility to fix it, but it’s on her doorstep now. She wasn’t known for having a heart of gold, but at this point, she had no reason to be unnecessarily cruel either. They had done a lot, she owed them this much for their efforts.

So she told the truth.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Because she had learned the truth can sometimes go a long way to change things drastically.

But they broke. Like a vase pushed off, the ego shatters into a million pieces. Some things are so convoluted that even she doesn’t know, and then that leaves no hope for the hopelessly wicked.

 

Slumped shoulders, wide eyes and a stumbling gait. They walk off into the darkness, alone.

Shirogane closes the door and turns around to find Monokuma back, paw out.

“Partners, then?”

 _Fresher meat_. Right. Shirogane looked at the door. Back at the outstretched paw. Then she smiled.

“Go fuck yourself.”

Monokuma fell silent. He withdrew his hand and stared mechanically at her. She couldn’t tell if it was disappointment or anger. She didn’t care.

“Getting attached, Shiro-chan?” Monokuma mocked, finally going back to his usual lively self. “Dangerous – but when have you ever listened to what others tell you to do?”

“Your suggestions were never to my taste,” Shirogane admitted.

Monokuma laughed and shruged. “Your loss, really. But don’t forget, you had your chance. You can stay with these people, but if they turn their backs on you, don’t come crawling to me.”

Monokuma crawled back to his hole.

“I’ve decided to play a different game,” Shirogane laid back on her bed. She could scarcely believe her own choice but hoped she wouldn’t live to regret it. “A game called faith.”

 

* * *

 

I stumbled back. Even Shirogane didn’t know. Who I was. What I was. Only Monokuma had answers, probably. If he was telling the truth. Chances 60% to 40% against. Better than nothing. Worth it though?

I see Oma again and I try to change my path. Doesn’t work. Too fast for me, I stumble on my own legs and fall. He laughs and mocks me. I push myself up. He’s asking something. Can’t tell what. Don’t care. Hear two cars crashing whenever his mouth opens, and his lips move. Ambulance sirens. I look at him. His face. Remember yesterday. Or today? Or tomorrow? My fists shake. Soft face, very punchable. Hot blood.

I shake my head. I send him a glare. Imitate Maki. His mouth stops moving. The static ceases. Silence fills the hallway as I leave for my room. Free for today.

 

Bile builds at the back of my throat and I rush to my bathroom again. I throw up whatever I had eaten in the morning. I don’t remember what it was. Once I stop, I sit there pathetically on the ground.

Tears build at the corners of my eyes, but I can’t cry.

My voice hurts but I can’t scream.

I punch the wall. I’m surprised when I feel something warm. I look down and see blood.

I walked to the sink to clean up. I looked up. I looked up at the mirror.

I looked at the mirror. Inside the mirror.

At… “me”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At us.

 

 

 

 

 

“You can’t get attached. You’re not a moral compass. You can’t play by the same rules that

everyone else does. You’re not like them...”

 

 

(you sigh)

 

 

 

 

“Rational. Thinking. Only.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

After being done with training, Harukawa walked back to the dorms. When closing the door, she felt the presence of eyes watching her and a cold shiver ran down her spine. A creepy aura befell the place and she turned around. On the stairs elevated above her were Yonaga and her posse. Harukawa’s eyes narrowed and she contemplated turning and running back to the others, but ultimately stood her ground, Yonaga’s eyes peering into hers.

“Oh me oh my, Maki, you’ve been out quite late!” the artist reprimanded. “You know that’s not okay!”

“Monokuma has been overthrown, his law doesn’t count anymore,” Harukawa answered back, steeling herself. She hadn’t thought of Yonaga as a worthy opponent one on one, but clearly, she had underestimated her ability to manipulate others to her will. It almost reminded her of her own organization’s leader.

“Nyahaha, you’re right about that!” she laughed. “But it’s _our_ rule that needs to be followed now!”

“Your rule?” Harukawa questioned suspiciously.

“Atua’s rule, to be exact,” Kiibo clarified.

“And what does Atua’s law say, exactly?” a smooth voice came from the shadows. Shinguji materialized and came to stand next to Harukawa, in opposition to Yonaga. Not the kind of support she was expecting, but she’ll take it.

“That we stay here in the academy and live in his loving name in fruitful prosperity!” Yonaga intertwined her hands and smiles innocently. The others nodded with her.

“And why should we go along with your cult?” Harukawa asked.

Before anyone could answer, the door opened, and Tojo walked in.

“Oh, good evening everyone,” she said, surprised. “What’s going on?”

Harukawa crossed her arms. “They’re telling us off because we were out late at night.”

“If everyone were confined to rooms, no attack could have happened” Gokuhara explained, though Harukawa was suspicious if Yonaga hadn’t told him to say those words beforehand. “Nobody get hurt!”

The assassin peered at Tojo from the corner of her eye, seeing the other girl look away.

Another person walked in through the door; Shirogane. “Oh, has the cult already started to make power moves?” she stretched and yawned. “If there’s one thing I can be glad about thanks to being found out early is that I don’t have to play along to your bent tune anymore!” she laughed at Yonaga, whose visage darkened.

“It is to keep undesirables in their place; all as Atua wants it.” Harukawa glared back, clearly falling under the ‘undesirables’ category. She was just glad Akamatsu was not there to see the exchange, same with Saihara or Momota. They would be devastated that an infighting was occurring between them, against the will of the ones who were working the hardest to keep everyone together. The artist had brainwashed the naiver yet headstrong students onto her side, while Akamatsu was befriending the former blackened, the mastermind and a literal assassin. Morning breakfast wasn’t going to be as nice anymore.

“I think it’s best we leave,” Tojo suddenly said, breaking from her silence. “It is getting late and we all should rest. I bid you all a good night.” She curtsied and left for her room. Shirogane followed suit without saying anything. Shinguji clicked his tongue and left as well. Harukawa gave one last glare at Yonaga and then there were none.


	17. Schrödinger's cat

“You did what?” Momota slammed the table with his fist. Anger clouded his mind, momentarily making him forget about the pain.

“Oh, Kaito, why the long face? You seem upset; are you feeling alright?” Yonaga titled her head to the side worriedly.

“Answer the question. Are you serious?” Harukawa asked.

“You really are doing as you please,” Shinguji remarked from behind his cup of tea. “The _audacity_.”

“Gonta apologizes if he upset you, but this for better,” the entomologist made a face of resolve, but it was frail against Momota’s fury.

“We’re not upset with you, Gonta,” Hoshi assured. “We just… don’t like Yonaga going behind our backs like this,” the tennis player glared at the artist. The giant looked down in shame but stood his ground. Hoshi could sympathize and didn’t hold it against his friend. They could always remove the rubble if they needed to later.

“Yonaga-san…” Akamatsu had been staring at empty space for a while. “Why did you not consult-“

“Because Atua told us it was important!” the other girl casually cut her off. “Geez, you don’t pay attention at all, Akamatsu. This is why Tsumugi was able to use you and nearly got you to kill Rantaro!”

A few days earlier, those words might have ended the conversation. But Akamatsu closed her eyes and let them bounce off. This wasn’t the normal and cheerful Angie. This was a megalomaniac cult leader. Different people. The former was needed to be brought back. A line was needed to be drawn in the sand, and Akamatsu bent to pick up the stick.

“Yonaga-san,” she said with much more force and tenacity than the girl expected. “The whole killing game has been to split our ranks. Monokuma has introduced motive after motive to get us to kill each other and only by will and sheer luck have we managed to survive without any casualties until now. How long do you think that will last if distrust comes between us?”

“That’s what we’re trying to prevent, Kaede!” Yonaga said like it was obvious. “It’s _you_ who’s stopping harmony from blooming. You’re not letting us live here in peace!”

“That’s because we don’t want to live here at all!” Akamatsu shot back. “We want to escape from here, not be trapped forever.”

“Ah, Kaede. If you would only leave your ignorance behind and accept Atua into your soul, you would see how much of a better solution this is to your short-sighted quest for an escape. Monokuma said so himself; only if you want to go outside do you have to murder! If we just stay here, we won’t have to worry about dying!”

“What kind of a life is that?” Amami asked quietly from his seat. The two girls looked at him. He stared down at his fingers and ran a hand across his palm. “Staying here, against our will. Yeah, we’d survive, but for what purpose? Like birds in a cage; for someone else’s sick pleasure.”

Yonaga laughed at him, her bangs turning her visage cold and dark. “Nyahaha! Rantaro, would you rather have died in the library, looking for a way to end this killing game than live?”

Amami’s fist clenched.

“If you wanted meaning to your life or death, you might as well ask Akamatsu to ki-“

“What sort of sick and twisted mind comes up with stuff like that,” Harukawa matched the artist’s look.

“Oh, does the assassin have something against death now?” Oma asked from behind the crowd.

“Hey, back off,” Momota asserted, getting up close. “What’s wrong with all of you? Why is everyone getting in each other’s throats?”

Kiibo mirrored his move, but on the other side of the board. “Momota-kun, don’t resort to violence!”

“W-What? I’m not resorting to anything, I’m trying to solve this!”

“Does a male degenerate need to be put down?” Chabashira joined in, officially making the checkerboard into a Mexican Standoff.

“Everyone, please calm down!” Saihara yelled in a meek voice but was left unheard. All he managed to do was keep Harukawa from slamming anyone into a table.

I looked on from the peanut gallery, a sole spectator to the turmoil that stood before me. All sides – however many there were, if anyone was keeping count – stood at odds with one another. Shinguji’s eyes were glued to Yonaga. That discriminating look _boiled_. He had his mark already. And he wasn’t alone. I could feel Oma’s gaze boring to my back, but I shifted to Akamatsu. A strong current needs an equally strong barrier.

“You can’t suddenly decide to take over control of the school, that’s not how things work!” Akamatsu clenched her fists.

“You weren’t able to stop the killing game before, Akamatsu-san,” Yumeno declared. “That’s why Atua had to save Amami-kun and Hoshi-kun.”

“This isn’t a hostile takeover,” Kiibo tried assuring. “This is to make sure everyone gets along fine in the school’s environment without disagreement!”

“This sure looks hostile to me,” Harukawa commented drily.

_Trois…_

“First you go around making bullshit rules forbidding people from walking around at nighttime and now this?” Iruma yelled. “Who the fuck do you think you are you prude little shit? Don’t think just because you have the tits that you can tell me what to do!”

“Iruma-san, even with Atua’s infinite mercy, you would never be let into paradise with that mouth.”

“No hoes in heaven!” Oma snickered.

_Deux…_

“Yonaga-san, you’re undermining Akamatsu-san’s power and influence as leader,” Shinguji tried reasoning.

“But Atua only speaks to Angie, though…” Fatal mistake.

_Un._

_“Rise and shine, Ursine~!”_

“Boy you guys sure are rowdy!” Monotaro droned.

Monophanie nodded. “Louder than Monokid when he’s rocking out, that’s for-“

The pink bear was interrupted by a sudden burst of sound that blew her straight into a wall. “Sorry, couldn’t fuckin’ hear ya from across the room! Ha-ha!” Monokid laughed, guitar in hand.

“What do you want?” Akamatsu asked, wanting anything but to deal with the Monokubz right now.

“What can we help you with?” Yonaga immediately undermined, jumping in front of Akamatsu and blocking her.

“We heard that youse was arguin’!” Monosuke pushed his glasses and pointed accusingly at them. “That’s bad for business.”

“THERE-IS-CHAOS-WITHIN-YOU,” Monodam said. “NOT-GOOD.” Surprisingly short and sweet in comparison to his usual annoying speeches about friendship and rainbows. Was he becoming aware?

“Yeah, so we came here to solve that issue!” Monotaro exclaimed.

Saihara raised a suspicious eyebrow. It was odd for the Monokubz to abandon a motive. It was even weirder for them to leave it with them and let them do as they pleased, though it could’ve been reverse psychology. “Oh, yeah? What exactly?”

“I forgot.”

Of course.

“See, this is why I preferred Monokuma!” Oma whined. “He was fun! When can we have him back?”

“Boy do you sure sound suspicious. Are you sure _you’re_ not the mastermind?” Shirogane said in an even tone, as to not attract too much attention.

“I could say the same for you, traitor,” Oma grinned.

Shirogane laughed, which made Oma’s ear-to-ear shit-stain of a grin’s angel decreased by a few degrees. “That’s quite the thing! To be a traitor I’d have to breach trust _,_ and you clearly don’t care about any of that. After all, when have you ever shown loyalty?”

Now the grin was wearing off.

“Unless of course you think it was personal. In which case I assure you; me masterminding this game for the sixteen of us was in no way a _personal_ attack against you. That takes a lot of ego to imply. And I don’t care about DICE either.”

Oma threw his hands behind his back and smiled. “You sure seem to think you know a lot-“

“I wouldn’t have been in my position if I only pretended. And you’re not in the position of ‘Supreme Leader’ by underestimating your opponents.”

“I don’t underestimate. But you really have set the bar low after your pathetic excuse of a trial.”

Their chit-chat was broken up by a loud coughing. They both looked at Momota, hunched over and being patted by Saihara and a worried Harukawa standing nearby.

“M-Momota-kun! Are you OK?” Saihara asked worriedly.

“I’m f-fine,” the astronaut waved off. “Just feeling a bit chilly.”

“Chilly enough to get a cough?” Harukawa asked skeptically.

“That’s what you get for wearing sandals all the time,” Hoshi shrugged.

“I think it’s best if you lie down, Momota-kun,” Akamatsu offered.

“No, iit’s- it’s fine, I-I’m fine-“ he gave them a shaky thumbs up, which immediately flew to his mouth as another wave of coughing started.

“Saihara-kun, can you please take Momota-kun to his room?” the pianist asked.

“O-of course!”

“Harukawa, can you-“

“On it.”

Akamatsu nodded and smiled as the three left together.

 

The cafeteria stood in silence. It was the needle drop moment. Until that needle dropped, the world would stand still in limbo. Until the theoretical cling of metal hit the cold surface of the floor reality, everything would be nothing.

Until then, nothing would get done.

“Akamatsu-san.”

I dropped the needle.

“Do you have a moment?”

 

* * *

 

 

\- FREE TIME -

 

“I find it interesting.”

Amami laughed. “That’s a very general statement, coming from you. You’re interested in everything.”

“It’s because there’s something interesting to find even in the most peculiar of places,” Shinguji answered. He ran a hand across the mat of the Ultimate Aikido Master’s dojo, feeling the texture through his bandaged hand. “Aikido is a form of martial art that focuses on defending oneself, while also protecting their attacker from injury. Despite Chabashira-san’s special flair, she follows the same principle.”

“Protecting others,” Amami smiled warmly. “She sure doesn’t show it when a guy is around, but when it’s a girl, she would do anything.”

Shinguji nodded. “Indeed. That sort of devotion to her friends is admirable. The depths of humanity’s devotion to the ones they love and their passion is remarkable. It is one of the many things that separate us from the animal kingdom.”

Amami snorted. “Humanity sure is distinguished.”

“Did you ask Chabashira-san for permission to allow us into her palace?”

“I asked if I could check this place out. At first she twiddled her thumbs, but said she won’t stop even ‘degenerate males’ from having a look-see if they’re interested in the dojo.”

“That is very kind of her,” Shinguji’s voice was entirely sincere.

“What got you into anthropology, Shinguji-kun?” Amami asked, looking at one of the dummies that was throwing out punches. “I mean, some people are interested in history, some in specific cultures and traditions.”

“But why all cultures, traditions and history?”

“I’m just wondering,” Amami raised his fists and took a fighting stance against the dummy.

“Well, what makes a man want to travel the world, Amami-kun?”

The survivor laughed and threw a light punch against the wood, then ducked back, barely dodging an automated jab at his ribs.

“Adventure; thrill? The promise of riches and fortune? Wishing to discover yet unfound lands?”

“Well, I won’t lie, I do like the adventure,” Amami stepped back, turning to his friend. “But it’s not that. It’s for...” He stopped himself. What was it for? _Wasn’t_ it for adventure? Wasn’t it for the thrill? Was there something else to it? The money. No, that can’t be right.

 

“Amami-kun?” Shinguji had noticed the sudden halt in the greenette’s movements and words. Like he had frozen in place.

“For my, uh…” Amami tried again, clutching his head. It looked like he was trying so hard to remember something. Like you would do during an exam, that little thing you wrote on the edge of your notepaper, the most important part of your work. But what was it, damn it?

“Amami-kun, do you need to sit down?”

“No, it’s not that? I’m just…” the boy was at a loss for words. He could grasp at the knowledge, the answer to his question. But he couldn’t say it out.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” Shinguji was worried he had struck a nerve or something. Afterall, he should know best _not_ to meddle in the specifics of one’s private affairs.

“My sister.”

On second thought.

 

Amami wasn’t sure how he had forgotten. Amnesia doesn’t just wipe specific parts of your memory; it’s all or nothing. He was starting to remember things. Stuff. Facts.

Fact; he was the Ultimate Survivor.

Fact; he had participated in a killing game before this one.

Fact; Shirogane used Akamatsu’s plan to try and kill him early on.

Fact; there are people who know more about him that he does.

Fact; he has at least one sister.

Fact; before the shot put, he knew more.

It was easier to just run it all down a checklist. The information either blurred together into a mess or just didn’t register at all. He couldn’t pull it from anywhere or couldn’t separate facts from fiction.

 

“Your sister?” Shinguji parroted, guiding Amami to sit down just in case. Maybe Amami would have another revelation.

“Uh, yeah. I have a sister,” the adventurer said, almost sounding surprised by it himself. Like he was just reminded by the fact that he knew it. “I think?”

“You think? How do you mean?”

“It’s all very… complicated. My memories are a mess sometimes. Remember when I told you guys about my participation in the other killing game? Well, I still haven’t recovered much from then. I only know headlines, I don’t know any context. I know only ‘sister’, ‘killing game’, ‘Ultimate Survivor’.”

“That is troubling. Have you thought about taking it up with Shirogane-san?”

Amami laughed humorlessly. “I don’t think she could tell me anything. If my suspicion is correct, there’s powers bigger than her at play. She’s not controlling Monokuma anymore.”

“You’re afraid of the consequences of asking too many questions.”

“If she wants to tell me, that’s fine. But I don’t want to put her in a position that’ll compromise what we have. We have bigger problems. Like the student council. I’m afraid it’s going to force someone into becoming a blackened again.”

Shinguji felt a slight pang of guilt for that. Amami was a good person. They all were – most of them, anyways. If his plan succeeded, then they’d all die. He hoped that maybe his plan would fail, like both earli-

No, that’s not how he should be thinking. He has a mission and a plan. It’s unfortunate, greatly so. But sacrifices are necessary.

“But I try not to think of the worst outcome,” Amami smiled. “If I did, I wouldn’t have made it this far. I think, above all else, I fought for my sister. I kept pushing for her sake. And now, I’ll keep fighting to end the game for whatever memory I have left of her, in hopes that I’ll see her again one day.”

Shinguji nodded, wringing his hands, not sure what to do with them, so he curled them upon himself. “Your drive. Your own dose of truth. Formidable. In that, we are alike. I too, had a sister who I treasured dearly. She is who inspired me to study anthropology, to answer your initial question. She was very dear to me. I owe her everything.”

“I see. Then we are fighting for the same goal,” Amami smiled brightly, happy to have found someone who understands him, even if he doesn’t quite understand himself.

“So it seems. It is my sincere hope that… you’ll be reunited. Whatever happens.”

 

* * *

 

Akamatsu walked back and forth nervously in the Ultimate Pianist’s lab. Saihara was fiddling with his cap. I was leaning against the grand piano, resisting the temptation of shattering the silence by smashing on the keys.

“You keep doing that,” I sighed. “And you’ll walk a hole in the floor, Akamatsu-san.”

She stopped and crossed her arms. “I don’t like this.”

“It’s three against one. It’s on our turf. What could go wrong?” I asked, shrugging.

I had convinced Akamatsu to invite Yonaga to a meeting, to discuss the student council and whatever else. In truth, it was just an excuse to get Yonaga away from her lab.

I wasn’t in the mood for deprogramming anyone, but at the very least I got _some_ baggage off my back. I just hoped the little shit wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass…

“But why here?” she asked, nerved.

“This is your lab. You show control of the situation by inviting her to your place. If we were to do this in the cafeteria, then the memory of the morning’s argument would disrupt the meeting.”

“I don’t think she will see reason,” Saihara confessed. “I think it’s best if we just try to ignore the student councill and-“

“Saihara, if we do that, then they’ll just do as they please!” I insisted. “Who knows what they’ll come up with next, but it certainly won’t be tax reform! We can’t let them put us on the defensive.”

“I still don’t think this is the right decision…”

Akamatsu shook her head. “No, we need to act before they do. That’s true. We need to stand up before any more attacks happen, and this student council business is just begging for one.”

Not another word was said when the door opened and Yonaga stepped through.

“Angie hopes you didn’t have to wait long!”

“You know why we called you?” Akamatsu immediately got to business.

“Hmmm,” Yonaga sat down on one of the seats. “You’re still probably not very happy, right? Atua told Angie you wanted to talk to her about the student council.”

“You voted for me as well, Yonaga-san. To become leader. And now you’re pushing yourself-“

“Angie did vote for you, Akamatsu-san, because she believed in you! But you let Atua down, and now Angie has to clean up after you.” It was said with such a cheerful and simple voice, like explaining to children why the sky is blue or why you can’t eat too many sweets.

“Angie, be honest,” Saihara said with a tired tone. “Don’t you think you’re going a bit far with this ‘Atua’s will’ thing?”

“Do you not believe in Atua either?” the artist immediately jumped to defend her imaginary god.

“He might very well exist, but that’s not my point. You’re just using him as an excuse to do whatever you want, using others in the process and instilling a false hope into them. Don’t you think that’s wrong?”

“Angie is trying to help them, more than you’ve ever done! Nothing Angie has done is wrong or bad; instead, you’re the ones who are wrong for trying to stop Atua’s wishes!”

Now there’s a surprise to be sure. Even if he disagrees with the methods, I was glad Saihara managed to put differences in opinions aside to help us. Now we just need to continue this back and forth until nighttime and the mission is a succe-

“You’re clearly all still blinded by your own narrow-minded conceptions, and not ready to accept Atua. Angie expected that maybe you would see it differently, but now it’s clear you are Atua’s enemies!” She stood up and stormed to the door.

That was not according to plan.

“Angie, wait!” I tried calling for her, but imagine my shock when she wouldn’t wait. Like a flash, she was gone.

Akamatsu sighed and sat down. “Well, not like I expected much…”

“I said it wasn’t a good idea!”

I was already bound for the door. “I’m gonna go and see if she’s-“ I couldn’t finish whatever I was saying, I was already on the other side. But Yonaga was long gone.

“Damn it,” I cursed, looking around. I had let her slip between my fingers and now she was running wild. I had specifically asked her out here so I could keep an eye on her, so she couldn’t get killed or attacked. I needed to find her.

I ran down the hall, looking for anyone who might’ve seen her. Dusk was coming along slowly, and nighttime would be here in a couple of hours. I needed to hurry.

As I neared the stairs, I heard talking below. I hurried down and found Amami and Chabashira talking.

“Thank you again for letting us check out your dojo, it was very kind of you!” Amami smiled and bowed his head, making the aikido master uncomfortable.

“Don’t think of this as a favor, you degenerate male! I was only doing it because you showed interest in aikido, no other reason!”

“And as I said, it was very nice of you to let us see it closer.” Amami noticed and greeted me. “Oh, hey! I have to thank you as well for telling me to check out the dojo with Shinguji-kun, it was very cool! Thanks a lot for the recommendation.”

“Yeah, speaking of which, where is he?” I gasped.

“Oh, we parted a little while ago, he said he had something to do.”

_Damnation and hellfire!_

I had hoped that they would be kept busy by the wonders of neo-aikido or whatever and Shinguji might fall into one of his lectures that would last for hours, but I guess if you want something done, you got to do it yourself.

“Do you have any idea where he went?”

“Nope, none.”

“… _Yeah, thanks a lot, Amami-kun, you’ve been a great help_ …”

“Why, did something happen?”

I turned around and took two steps at a time to make my way upstairs. Yoaga probably went to her lab. There was no need for a ritual, but if I were upset that my divine god was insulted before me, then I’d probably go lock myself in my safe space. And Shinguji wouldn’t be far away either.

 

The only source of light on the third floor were the candles. And they reminded me of the time I went to confront Tojo.

When she killed me.

I was just as mortal as the rest of them. I needed to find Yonaga and fast.

I shuffled to where her lab was and tried the handle. Locked. I knocked on the door and said in a low voice, yet still loud enough for her to hear me. “Angie, open the door! It’s not safe here!”

No answer.

I turned around. The hallway was darker than I remembered it being, the lights on the candles were flickering with an inexplicable wind. I’ve never heard the wind whisper before.

The other door was locked as well. So either Yonaga was already dead – why wasn’t I already rewinding? – or I could still change something.

The middle room. That was my next best bet. I stuck to the walls and like a lizard I crawled.

I found the middle room in the near darkness. The door was ajar.

Once again, I was reminded of my mortal coil. I was exceptional only as long as I could relive these moments, but that didn’t help the sinking feeling in my stomach. The quicksilver bile that had been eating my insides turned solid and weighed my feet down. It was like weaving through an invisible barrier of snow; chills running up my spine.

I got to the door. I brought up my hand and slid it open.

And then I heard a loud crack.

Whatever strength was left in my weakened body was used to push the door off its hinges. Candles lit the empty insides of the room.

The echoing laughter filled my head once again as a big lump of yellow _planked_.

He was turned to me, but the hair was unmistakable. He turned around and saw me, wooden board still in hand.

I didn’t even say anything. He looked surprised. Cesar was weary of Cassius, because he was of the thin sort; one who thinks too much forgets to eat. Whether it is thinking born from scheming, paranoia, or preparation, it’s thinking all the same. _He_ must’ve done a lot of thinking as well, before tonight. But the look on his face; not once did he think of me.

I went past him. Like a non-entity, he went ignored by me. My eyes were glued to the body from the moment I entered the room.

I plopped down beside her. The light toned to gray. Her raincoat lost its color. The pink flowing down beautifully from her pale face started to glitch. Blurred vision.

The end approaching.

I tried to reach out.                         _Feel._

Disappointment. Fear. Guilt. Shame. Agony. Hate. Despair.

Feel _her_.

Feel my failure. Feel the last of her warmth. Or the cold that has taken over.

I stretched out my hand further. Farther. Then my hand went through her.

And I didn’t feel the board come down on my head.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

A knocking against the left side of my head wakes me from my stasis. I open my eyes.

How many times have I been here?

I sit up.

The gray walls surround me. They mock me. The black screen reflects the room, but nothing more. There is nothing else here.

My room.

It has lost its use. Its function. I don’t remember the last time I slept in my bed.

I stand up.

My head swarms like a muddy river, sight going black, then red, then white . I can see again, but the world keeps doing flips.

Pain

This is the only constant.

I sit back down and lay on my side, ready to puke if I need to. I close my eyes and try to hum, but the melody is dead.

Just like Yonaga. Just like Amami. And Akamatsu. Shinguji. Tojo, Hoshi. And soon, Iruma, Gonta, Oma and Momota.

(moths to the flame)

And me.

I die and then die again.

Not here nor there. An undefinable variable stuck somewhere where nobody can even _acknowledge_ my existence.

Every time I step out of this bed, I’m signing up for another eventual death. How many times has it been? Can I even be sure of the amount anymore? What _can_ I be sure of? And if there even is something beyond the veil of uncertainty… how to verify?

Amami has the reassurance that he _had_ memories once.

But that’s the thing, isn’t it? I’ve always assumed, yet I’ve never actually said it. It has never even crossed my mind. Oma was right after all, and he’s not even supposed to be.

I’m not looking for lost memories like the rest.

Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. But what becomes of that which came from neither?

I go back to nothing. This is all I’ve known. A baby _learns_ to walk, to crawl. To speak.

“But I never learned.”

 

 

The silence nods.

I nod back.

 

 

“I only knew.”

 

 

 

 

 

The abyss stares.

 

 

 

 

 

I stare back.

 

 

 

 

 

b͉̟̙̮̭̜̑͑̋͌͛̒͛̚͟ͅl̡̛͍̯͇̰̖̟͗̑̔͘i̶̛̘͖̠̜̪̘͒̓̊͆̋̅͜n̶̗̻̥̝͍͍͍͈̥̈̀̏̒̊̈́̈́̇͘͟͠ḳ̢̖͇͎̤̻͙̹̂̀̏̉͊̓̆͜͞͝

 

 

 

 

I wake up.

 

 

I feel nothing.

 

 

* * *

 

Saihara closed the door and left his room. As he was about to descend, he stopped. He looked back at one specific door, worried. He wondered if he should, whether it’s a good idea to disturb or not. The last few days have been extremely stressful, after all. It could just be that.

Or it could be something much more serious, and if he doesn’t act now, something terrible could happen. A coin toss, really.

He felt his hands itch. Like he should do something. And like the detective he is, he decided if he had a feeling, he should try it. He took a deep breath.

Ascending the stairs, he came face to face with the door and knocked. He waited nervously – he even considered leaving – but then the door opened.

“Ah, Harukawa-san! What’re you doing in Momota-kun’s room?”

The assassin bobbed her head in greeting. “I came to check on him. He collapsed nearly as soon as I entered.”

Saihara’s jaw fell. “Tha- That doesn’t sound good.”

Harukawa sighed. “Tell me about it. _He_ definitely won’t shut up.” She turned around, crossing her arms.

“Yo, Shuichi! Did you come to visit me, buddy?” Momota was all cheery grin and lively attitude, though the grin only reached to his canines, and the pitch of his voice didn’t reach the full octave.

“He looks… fine?” Saihara didn’t want to jinx it, but it was so. At least, Momota wasn’t vomiting out blood anymore.

“He’s only making a strong face,” Harukawa clicked her tongue. “Idiot.”

“C’mon, Harumaki! You don’t give me enough credit. This won’t kill me!”

“Don’t call me that.”

Saihara was surprised she didn’t say anything about him staying in bed, but then again, they had probably already had this conversation.

“Oh, Saihara-kun and Harukawa-san too?” Akamatsu arrived through the doorway. “Did you guys come to check on Momota-kun as well?”

“Aw man, I really made you guys worry, didn’t I?” the astronaut laughed, scratching the back of his head guiltily.

“Yet you still act so irresponsibly,” Harukawa stabbed.

“But that’s what I have my sidekicks for, right? To pick me up when I fall!” Momota went to ruffle Harukawa’s hair, but the girl deftly sidestepped.

“ _What_ are you doing?” she asked, shocked.

“Oh, sorry, did I scare you? Sorry, my bad.”

Harukawa looked at him with an unfathomable expression before turning around and leaving. ”Whatever. You guys keep an eye him, make sure he doesn’t trip down the stairs and cause us more trouble. I’m going to go eat.”

Saihara sighed and shook his head. “I don’t think she’s really a headpat type of person…”

“Oh, she’ll get used to it,” Momota waved with his hand.

Saihara wasn’t sure how to respond to that possible threat on Harukawa’s wellbeing and sanity but decided he would worry about that burning bridge later.

“Can you walk around?” Akamatsu asked.

“Sure can! Seriously, you guys are such worrywarts. I got whatever was wrong out of my system, I’m fine now! We can go eat.”

Showing strength and taking lead, Momota puffed out his chest and walked out the door, leaving his two beloved sidekicks coughing in the dust of his bravado.

Until he stumbled down the steps.

Two pairs of screams were heard; one really high-pitched that sounded like a dying woman’s last cry, and one much deeper sound of agony, like being crushed under a lot of weight.

The pair hurried to see what had transpired, finding their friend lying on a wiggling Amami.

“And so the morning begins,” came the dry voice of Shinguji, watching the messy flurry not two feet away.

“Oh my god, Amami-kun, are you alright?!” The pianist immediately ran to help Momota off of the dying survivor.

“D-Don’t worry, Akamatsu-san,” the greenette managed, standing up. “I’m made of stronger stuff than that.”

Well, if he could survive Momota falling on him, then he could survive anything.

“So sorry, Rantaro-kun!” Momota hurried to apologize and dust the poor guy off. “Really! Totally my fault, I was hurrying down the stairs, I didn’t look where I was going, one leg went to the wrong place! Those steps are really narrow!”

“Y-Yeah, it’s fine. Just be more careful next time, alright?” the other boy laughed it off, but it was clearly forced out of politeness.

“Now that is a fine ‘how do you do?’,” Shinguji snickered, wiping some dust off of his hat.

Akamatsu put her hands to her hips and glared at Momota. “What did Harukawa just say about being careful?”

The astronaut laughed awkwardly and shrugged. Akamatsu sighed heavily and turned to the boys.

“Right, a proper good morning to you, Amami-kun, Shinguji-kun.”

“Yeah…” Amami mumbled.

“And a good morning it will be, if we can hold off any discourse with the student council,” Shinguji motioned for the group to start heading out of the dormitories. He fell behind slightly, waiting for Momota. “And welcome back, Momota-kun. I was getting worried. Things felt stale without your boisterous voice.”

“Oh, uh… My bad for making you worry,” Momota said, not sure how to take Shinguji’s concern.

“We were all worried; Amami-kun as well. So you can perhaps understand his pointed mood when after you disappear on us you decide to test the thesis of ‘the sky’s the limit’, by falling down a flight of stairs.”

Momota scratched his head. “Right, I’m sorry for making you all worry about me like that. Really, it’s my fault. But I’ll-”

“You’ll keep pushing yourself until you’re at your own end, I imagine,” Shinguji shook his head. “You’ve already apologized. Move on from that and actually try to get better, will you, Momota-kun? That’s all I ask.”

Not letting the astronaut fight back, Shinguji moved to the front of the group, next to Amami.

 

In front of the main building already stood a few students: Gonta, Kiibo and Chabashira. In other words,…

“Is the student councill forbidding us from entering the cafeteria as well now?” Shinguji quipped drily, not caring for Chabashira’s angry glare.

“Shinguji-kun,” Akamatsu said sternly. “We can’t assume why they’re here. Didn’t you yourself say we should hold from any hostilities with the student counsel?”

The anthropologist stood silent. He looked taken back, realizing his own mistake. He muttered something under his breath but shook his head immediately as if to respond to his own statement.

“You are right. My apologies, that was rash of me.”

“So, what are you all doing out here?” Saihara took a brave step towards the aikido master, who looked like she was ready to snap the nearest degenerate in half.

“Have you seen Yumeno-san?” Chabashira’s question was directed towards Akamatsu.

“No, why?”

“Tenko hasn’t been able to find her all morning!”

“Yonaga-san has also gone missing,” Kiibo said from the background.

“Wait, both of them are gone?” Akamatsu asked for clarification.

“We could not find them anywhere. We searched all morning,” Gokuhara shook his head. “Where could they be?”

“Do you want us to help you look for them?” Amami questioned.

“Tenko doesn’t need help from degenerate males!”

“But you have Gonta-kun and Kiibo-kun with you.”

“…Gokuhara-kun seems fine, and Kiibo is a robot.”

“That’s a compliment, right?” said robot wasn’t sure.

“Let’s go look for them,” Akamatsu turned to her group.

 

* * *

 

A storm of footsteps. Like soldiers to battle, they rushed up the stairs. The last place they would willingly check and yet the most likely place for Yonaga to be.

“Yumenso-san!” Chabashira screeched, finding her little red magician in front of the artist’s lab.

“Nyeh?” the sleepy mage turned to the group. “What are you all doing here?”

“Yumeno-san, have you seen Yonaga-san anywhere?” Akamatsu asked.

“No… That’s why I came here. To check on her. I couldn’t find her anywhere. But then…” She pointed at the floor. The group looked to where her finger was pointed and saw little trails of pink leading to the Ultimate Artist’s lab.

“Oh no…” Akamatsu breathed.

“After the meeting,” Saihara suddenly gasped, eyes like dinner plates. “Has she been up here this whole time?”

“Whatever has happened, I hope we’re not too late,” Amami tried opening the door.

Akamatsu didn’t hope for anything. It usually didn’t end well.

“It’s locked from the inside, damn it!” Amami punched the door.

“Yonaga-san! Please let us in!” Akamatsu yelled, but nothing was heard.

“We should try the back door,” Shinguji offered.

“No need, folks!” Like a ninja, Oma snuck up on the group. “I have heeded your calls, weary classmates, and present to thee… _the Skeleton Key_!” He held up a hair pin that looked suspiciously like…

“Hey, that’s mine!” Akamatsu tried yanking her eight-note pin back, only for Oma to pull it away.

“Akamatsu-chan, darling!” Oma chided. “This here is the solution to all your problems.”

He turned around and took something metallic from his pocket and got to work on the door.

“Really?” Momota rolled his eyes. “There’s no way you’re gonna get it open fast eno-“

_Click._

With a flourish the metallic wrench was gone, and Oma handed the pin back to Akamatsu, who begrudgingly took it back. “After you, please,” he beckoned.

Akamatsu swallowed down the lump that had formed in her throat. Her shaking hand slowly reached for the doorknob. Why was she shaking? It would be fine, wouldn’t it? It’s been fine until now. She was a leader, damn it, why was she getting afraid?

She felt a press on her arm, and she looked over. Saihara put a hand on her shoulder and nodded reassuringly.

_Right._

With a steady hand, she turned the knob and pushed the door open.

 

 

…

 

And with a chime all her fears became true.

 

* * *

 

 

_*Ding dong, bing bong!*_

_“A body has been discovered~!”_

“A terrible thing has happened!” Monophanie sobbed.

“Everyone, please make way to the Ultimate Artist’s Lab,” Montaro announced.

“The killing game lives on, bitches!” Monokid riffed his guitar.

“Oi, get off my back!” Monosuke pushed Monokid away against Monodam, making him fall of their shared couch along with his guitar, breaking it.

“Hey, look what you did!” Monokid pointed accusing at Monodam, who sat quietly, staring at the screen.

“What’s up with him?” Monokid scoffed.

“Who knows?” Monotaro shrugged.

“ _BLEEEEERGH_!”

“Aaaand Monophanie is puking again. Everything is going great. Just great…”

 

* * *

 

They all stood there, blocking off the entrance. As soon as they stepped in the didn’t dare move another step. They were all frozen in place.

“Someone should…” Amami said in a weak voice.

Saihara pulled forward, getting close to Yonaga. He took her wrist and checked for a pulse, just like he had done to Amami. He hoped – Atua, he hoped – that this would turn out just like before.

“Is she…” Akamatsu didn’t dare hope anything.

Saihara swallowed hard. Slowly, he turned to address the group, letting go of Yonaga’s hand. “She’s gone.”

“N-No way…” Kiibo gasped.

Gokuhara’s eyes were already starting to water. “Y-Yonaga-san  is. . .?”

“Dude,  the r e ‘   s   n o    f   u  c     k      i         n   g  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wayyyyy!” Momota yelled.

“I wish it was a lie, Momota-kun,” Saihara’s voice was void of any hope it once had. “But she doesn’t have a pulse.”

“Then I guess someone finally bit the dust, huh?” Oma thought out loud. “So much for Atua’s protection-“

Harukawa slammed him against the wall and took him by the neck. It _almost_ looked like the others wanted to stop her.

“Nrgh- A-Ahn, you want another body today, Harukawa-san?” Oma spat out, barely able to smirk.

“No class trial for you, though,” Shirogane commented.

The assassin grit her teeth but let him drop to the floor.

“We need to… assess the situation…” Saihara barely managed.

 

_“Rise and shine, Ursine~!”_

“Well that did not go as expected!” Monosuke helplessly said.

“This is a darn bitch of an unsatisfactory situation!” Monokid kicked a nearby paint can.

“Who could have done something like this? After all the effort we went through to make sure a killing didn’t happen…” Monophanie cried.

“If dad was here, he’d know what to do…” Monosuke sighed.

“If pa was here, he’d be laughing his ass off not only because we’re acting like helpless snowflakes, but also because _someone just got murdered!_ ” Monotaro asserted.

Monodam said nothing.

“Oh, jeez, this is bad,” Monosuke rubbed his hands. “Uh, here, I guess you’ll want this.” He handed Akamatsu a Monopad. “What’re we gonna do?”

“Well this ain’t our problem!” Monokid said. “We should get the hell out of dodge before anything else completely unexpected happens!”

_“So long, Bear Well~!”_

 

She really was dead. Angie Yonaga was dead.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We need to investigate.”

A leader needs to take responsibility. And despite their differences, Akamatsu was still their leader, _de_ _facto_. Whoever killed Yonaga would pay, she would make sure. “Saihara-kun, are you up for this?”

The detective’s shoulders were slumped and his gaze was unfocused. Just like he had given her that push, she was going to need to do the same for him.

“Saihara-kun, tell me the truth,” she asked genuinely. “Are you up for this? We need you. Yonaga-san is dead, we can’t bring her back. But we still need to find who killed her.”

Saihara looked shaken. He had worked with bodies before, but seeing one of his friends die… It was something unreal. Yonaga was actually dead. One of their friends had actually died; someone had finally snapped and killed.

“Saihara-kun!” Akamatsu took both of his shoulders. “We need you! I need you. Please, help us!”

Saihara looked at her with a gaped mouth and could only nod numbly. Akamatsu let go of him. “Are you sure? Because if we do this, I need you at your best.”

“I… I can do it. I think.”

That was all she needed. “Alright, then. Let’s go solve a murder.”

Once, she had been saved by a miracle. The wheel of fate had turned in a different direction, and the shot put had missed Amami twice. Akamatsu had hoped that would be the end of it, but it was all brought down now by the blackened - what they had worked so hard for.

Unity. Freedom. Life.

Yonaga didn’t agree with her, but she was still their friend. Akamatsu already missed her, but she couldn’t let her feelings get the better of her, not now. She had already let that happen too many times. A leader cannot be weak. Not when they are needed the most.


	18. Murphy's Law

“…and so that Atua may guide your soul to the gates of heaven, and into the next life and that it may be better than this one…” Kiibo finished his prayer and stood from his crouched position next to Yonaga.

“Gonta can’t believe that… Yonaga-san really is dead…” Gokuhara clenched his fists, trying to force himself to wake up from whatever sick dream this was.

Yumeno stared glassily at the body, not saying a word, her face completely shut down.

“Well, we can’t just stand around,” Hoshi grumbled, hat pulled down. “We ought to be doin’ something, right?”

“Then I suggest we get to work,” Shinguji concurred. “Though I feel for the departed as much as anyone else in this room, we need to treat this as just another investigation if we wish to get anywhere.”

Akamatsu looked at the scene before her. At the _murder_ scene.

Yonaga lay right in the center of the art room. There was no real discrimination to her body’s position, so figuring out which door the murderer took wouldn’t be so easy.

There wasn’t a single drop of blood around her. Nothing but her still chest was out of place. The room was filled with paint cans, a few canvases and brushes. Art equipment, but _nothing_ out of the ordinary to spark interest. What had Yonaga been doing during her last moments before death?

Saihara had taken the pad from Akamatsu and had been inspecting it. “The Monokuma file says that she died somewhere around 2AM. However, it doesn’t specify the cause of death, merely states that she had a concussion and laceration to the forehead.”

Akamatsu raised an eyebrow. “So we don’t know what killed her?”

“No other wounds?” Momota asked to be sure.

“None detailed. I’ll have to check the body over.”

“So we got no leads from the pad. Damn,” Momota cursed.

Akamatsu shook her head. “That _was_ a lead. We need to look into what caused the gnash on her forehead and then see if that connects to whatever killed her.”

“But that doesn’t leave us with much. There is little else that is wrong with the room,” Saihara turned the pad off and looked around.

Just then, Amami and Tojo came back. “We checked where the blood came from. A small trail, but from what I gather, it came from the middle one of the three empty rooms.”

“Anything else?” Akamatsu asked.

“ _Zilch_. The place was void,” the adventurer described. “We checked every nook and cranny thoroughly.”

“Hmm… We might want to check it out afterwards, maybe,” Saihara said to himself. “But that doesn’t leave us with much, other than a possible origin of attack.”

“But she’s not bleeding from anywhere,” Harukawa countered. “Are we sure it’s her blood?”

“I guess we’ll find out.”

 

“Y-Yumeno-san,” Chabashira tried pulling the girl away, observant enough to see that the girl’s eyes hadn’t moved from Yonaga since they had found her. “I th- think we should go. Let them do their investigation and such!”

Yumeno said nothing.

Iruma clicked her tongue. “Something broke inside of titless’ clockwork. I was expecting her to say some stupid shit about bringing her back with magic or some crap!”

“Iruma-san!” Kiibo berated with a sharp tone. “Can’t you show _some_ sense of tact?”

“I think for once what she said wasn’t a complete waste of breath,” Shinguji hummed in thought.

“Oi, what was that you creepy looking pedo?!”

“In any case, ‘resurrection’ is a topic of interest in this case-“

“Forget it, bozo!” Iruma rolled her eyes. “We threw _that_ stupid book inside the virgin’s box a long time ago.”

Shinguji suddenly got close to Iruma, close enough to even creep the Ultimate Inventor out. “I did not mean for you to _keep_ talking.”

Iruma shrunk and hid in a corner.

“Ahem. As I was saying. I should specify that I did not mean to imply resurrection as an opinion, but something of the likes is definitely open and on the table.”

“You’re talking about the séance, right?” Saihara immediately picked up. He was starting to get back into the motions.

For better or worse.

“S-Séance?!” Momota took a few steps back. “What crap are you talking about now?!”

“It would seem there are many questions currently unanswered. I merely wanted to provide a possible solution to that dilemma. Do not feel threatened, Momota-kun, I can assure you of its safety.”

“You want to talk to the dead?” Amami tried to suppress his smirk.

Shinguji shrugged. “We have all the necessary prerequisites right here in this very school.”

Shirogane supported her head on her hand with a contemplative sigh. “It’s like somebody put them here on purpose.”

“It would be a shame to not use them,” Shinguji continued.

“I’ll help out!” Yumeno broke her own silence. “If- if it means I get to talk to Angie… I’ll do it!”

Chabashira looked on with a pained expression. “Then I’ll do it too!”

“Thank you, but we must see if everyone else is fine with going through with it in the first place before we set things in motion.”

Akamatsu wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. On one hand – and she tried being as nice about this as possible – she found Shinguji’s obsessions sometimes fucking creepy, despite being rather down-to-earth. She wasn’t a believer in the paranormal, but at the same time, this was Shinguji. He wasn’t as wild and illogical in his beliefs as… some other people, but it still made him extremely sketchy.

“And you believe this will bring something to the investigation?”

The boy nodded with certainty. “Seances depend on a lot of things, and while I cannot guarantee that we will get what we want from it, I _can_ guarantee you that this will further the investigation.”

_Well, it’s worth a shot… He is an expert._

“Alright,” Akamatus sighed. “We’ll investigate Yonaga-san’s case some more, but if we don’t find anything, then I guess we have no other choice. This is no longer a game – all of our lives are at stake now. Whatever options we have, we need to cross them.”

“Nishishishi, you’re starting to sound like a real leader, Kaede-chan!” Oma grinned in what was supposed to be an approving manner. “I’ll help out with the séance; it sure sounds more interesting that hanging around in this dump! For an Ultimate Artist, she sure didn’t create anything interesting.”

“Then we shall go prepare,” Shinguji led the way, Oma and Yumeno following him out. “First, we must choose a spot for the ritual.”

“Let’s go to the middle room!” Yumeno suggested. “It’s great for stuff like this…” Their conversation slowly faded out.

 

“What _was_ she doing here by herself?” Harukawa wondered.

“It doesn’t look like she was in the middle of painting, that’s for sure,” Hoshi said.

“I don’t remember seeing her last night, nor today morning,” Tojo remarked. “And I never got any requests to bring food to her lab either.”

“Then were we really the last ones to see her?” Saihara wondered.

“The fuck is this shit?” Iruma fumbled around in a dark corner of the room, removed from everyone else and away from the door. “What the- AAAAH! WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Akamatsu and Saihara immediately ran to her, thinking that the attacker was back. Iruma was on the ground, shakily pointing at black and white wardrobe, the doors ajar. She didn’t say a word, but her jaw was jittering.

The detective took a step forward and opened the doors fully to find a pair of mannequins. Though, he now understood what had garnered such a reaction from the inventor.

“What kind of kinky shit is this?!”

In the wardrobe were figures of Yonaga, Yumeno and what looked like a half finished one that was probably supposed to be Chabashira.

“Are those… wax?” Akamatsu asked.

“Sure look like it,” the detective answered, taking a closer look. He brought the figures out, setting them up next to each other. “It looks like members of the student council. Was this what Yonaga was doing last night?”

“Why are they in the closet, though?” was what Iruma was more concerned about.

“That is a good question. Though I guess we now know where she was, or at least, what she was doing. We should ask Yumeno-san if she ever knew of Yonaga-san making these before.”

Akamatsu distanced herself from the creepy dolls and went to inspect the back door. The lock was locked. Just the Kiibo came in as well, make a weird expression at seeing the dolls.

“Was this door locked when we came in as well?” Akamatsu asked like noting was wrong.

Kiibo looked at her weirdly, but composed himself. “I don’t think we had any time to check. We were all in a hurry to find Yonaga-san and Yumeno-san.”

“That reminds me, can’t only council members get inside the lab?” Harukawa realized.

“That narrows the suspects down by a great deal,” Shirogane snorted, in on a joke that nobody else got.

“And Oma-kun,” Amami reminded. “His lockpicking could easily get him in and out.”

Saihara took a deep breath. He pushed Yonaga over, checking her for any other injuries. She was clean, as was the floor underneath her.

There was naught to find under the heavy weight that rested between his hands that he used to call a friend.

“I think we should see how the preparations are coming along for the séance,” Amami suggested.

“Yeah, count me out,” Iruma scoffed. “If you pervs are so desperate to get laid that you want to call a ghost, be my fucking guest! If you want some real action, you know where my dorm is.”

The constant talk of ghosts had Momota stiff, and not in the way that Iruma would like.

Akamatus took notice. “Momota-kun, are you-“

“ _I AM FINE COMPLETELY FINE LET’S GO_!” The astronaut forcefully yelled, storming out.

Akamatsu sighed, wondering how many more times they would have to run after Momota today.

 

The long trail of purple dashed behind a corner, and they were forced to follow it.

They found Momota bounding down the hall, legs still on autopilot, jitters in his step.

He did not heed the calls of his friends, telling him to stop and slow down. Instead, he bust through the first door he saw.

“Oma-kun?”

The little liar jumped slightly, hands going behind his back. “What’s wrong, Momota-chan? Did you forget where the bathrooms were and piss your pants?” He laughed.

“Fuck off, I’m not scared!” the other boy insisted. Huffing, he crossed his arms. “What’re you doing here anyways? And what’s that behind you?”

Oma made a surprised face. “I’m surprised by your observation skills, Momota-chan! I didn’t think you’d notice!” Oma was holding a white piece of cloth behind his back. “Shinguji-chan asked me to retrieve it for the séance!”

“Oh shove it up your ass!” Momota yelled, turning around. “I can’t seem to fucking escape this occult bullshit!” And just like that, his angry footsteps carried him outside once again.

 

* * *

 

Oma sighed lightly. “Oh, Momota-chan, your idiocy knows no bounds!” he called. When he heard no irate answer, he was satisfied.

He stuck his hand back inside the white cloth. When he pulled the object out to empty it, he nodded in satisfaction.

He folded the cloth inconspicuously together, knowing it would be taken apart again soon enough.

Oma didn’t get a feeling of gratification by being proven right. For one reason, it happened all too often, so the effect was lost on him. And lately, it was because it meant bad things would happen.

He had been right on the mark; Yonaga was a lost cause as soon as she made herself cult leader, drawing an obvious target on her back. He had thought Shirogane would be the worst offender, who could only be trumped by Harukawa. And now Yonaga.

Still, a few things were a surprising. Yonaga was dead, that was the big one. Of course, he already had his suspects, but he also had a clear objective now.

 _And_ there were the sheets he needed to get as well, he couldn’t forget.

While folding them, his eyes couldn’t help but call on the shining, golden katana.

Something else that didn’t go as foretold.

Hah. Guess the “ _Oracle_ _of Delphi”_ only has a 30% accuracy after all.

Though he wondered, what else would he be surprised – or now, _unsurprised_ – to encounter?

Once he was done, he headed for the middle room. He passed Yonaga’s lab.

He wanted to laugh, but then again, _gift-horse-mouth_. Nobody had questioned his timing, so there was no need to bring it up. Though it _did_ make his own case a bit more difficult. But that would be manageable. Everything was manageable.

 

When he arrived in the middle room, they were already setting things up. Shinguji was drawing hieroglyphics, symbols and commercial logos with salt on the floor. Kiibo and Saihara were lighting candles. Chabashira was pouting in the corner, creepily goggling Yumeno.

“Ah, Oma-kun,” the anthropologist greeted him. “You have the sheets? Good.”

“Yup, got them right here! They were a pain to find, though; like seesh, you couldn’t have picked a more difficult spot to hide them at!” They were ridiculously simple to find.

“Is that so?” Shinguji seemed incredulous, but quickly dismissed it. “In any case, you found them at the perfect time. We are about to begin. Chabashira-san, you may now enter the circle.”

The martial artist took a deep breath and walked to the edge of the circle. Before she could step any further in, Yumeno stopped her.

“Chabashira-san…” she started in a quiet voice.

The martial artist immediately whipped around, making Shinguji wince, nearly sending some salt flying off the marker.

Chabashira would have exploded in a million questions by now, going by the depressed tone of her friend’s voice and asking if she was alright, if she needed some rest, food, a belly rub, anything at all, just tell her and she will do it, no questions asked!

But seeing the expression on the mage’s face made her stop. She patiently waited to be talked to, waiting for the red-haired girl to find her own words and wishes.

“Thank you… for doing this… I know it’s a lot of work. And it means a lot that you’re letting me speak to Angie-san again. Before now, I couldn’t even imagine losing a friend. And now I realize that… I don’t want to lose you too… So thank you, Chabashira-san…”

Yumeno smiled at her friend for the first time in a few days. “And please, be careful…”

Filled with a newfound determination, the martial artist nodded her head. “I will, Yumeno-san! And give Yonaga-san my regards!”

Shinguji went through the steps of the séance with Chabashira. Together, the rest lifted the cage carefully atop Chabashira. Everything was in place. Or well, nearly.

“And now, the sheets. Oma, If you’d give them to me, I’ll place them on the cage, and we can begin the séance.”

All the steps were nearly done. They were on the home stretch.

“I can do it!”

And then the unexpected happened.

_Just as planned._

“No, it’s quite alright,” Shinguji insisted. “You have done quite well already. I can place the sheets; I need you to recover your strength to lift the dog statue in a bit.”

But Oma was already stepping inside the circle, _careful not to ruin the intricate setup._

“No way, _Jose_! You’ll touch these perfect white sheets with your salty hands and get them all dirty!”

Shinguji was getting indignant with Oma’s caterwauling, but still put on a patient face. “Oma-kun, _I beg of you;_ the séance can only be successful if we follow proper-“

“I don’t care! I went through all the trouble of finding them, I should at the very least the granted the privilege of placing the sheet over the cage!” Oma was already next to the cage. Shinguji considered stopping him, but the pathway was too narrow, and Oma had the advantage of being small and nimble. With a wag, the sheet was once again undone as it slowly descended on top of the iron cage.

“Is that really okay?” Akamatsu asked uncertainly.

The sheets set, Oma turned back around, hands behind his head, victorious grin on his face. Shinguji stared blankly.

“We must… continue the ritual…” Shinguji persisted.

“What’re you standing there like a stiff robot for, Kee-boy? Oh-oh! Do you want to take part in the ritual too?” Oma slapped Kiibo on the back, after which a small flash and a clicking sound was heard inside him. “Aw man, if I can make the fans inside you rock from a simple back pat, then you’re an even bigger piece of garbage than I thought!”

“Those were not my fans!” Kiibo immediately protested. “Iruma-san installed some functions recently that are still unstable, so I would _appreciate it_ if you wouldn’t slap me like that! Also, if you’re participating, then I am definitely not taking part in the ritual!”

“I knew it, the robot’s racist against humans!”

“That is logically impossible, how can you even- HNRGG!”

Saihara sweatdropped and tried tuning out the two’s articulate yelling.

After some more whirring of Kiibo’s inner workings, he suddenly stood still, his mouth turning into a thin line.

“Huh? Did Kee-boy’s circuits finally fry?”

The robot gave no answer, but instead, a noise came out of his mouth, like a photocopier.

“Woah, what the hell is this?!”

“Ah, see, I told you!” Kiibo said in exasperation, taking a photo from his mouth. “You activated my image recording function.”

“More like your polaroid function. How much film do you have in your mouth?”

“ _Oma_ - _kun…_!”

Saihara looked at the photo that had disturbingly appeared out of Kiibo’s mouth. It was a snapshot of the room, specifically, the magic circle.

“Hey, uh, Kiibo, you mind if I take this?”

“Huh? Oh, sure thing, Saihara-kun. I won’t need it.”

The detective wasn’t sure why, but placing the photo in his breast pocket, he felt like he was going to need this photo later.

 

The three of them, along with Shinguji and Akamatsu, lifted the heavy statue up and placed it on top of the iron cage.

“I’ll join you, if you don’t mind,” Akamatsu petitioned. “As leader, I think it’s only fair if I partake in the séance.”

Saihara was uncertain. “Akamatsu-san, are you-“

“I have to do this. For Yonaga-san.”

He couldn’t argue against that. The determined look in her eyes told him he couldn’t convince her otherwise, so he dropped it.

“Besides, I can definitely sing better than you can.”

“Oh, why then of course.”

They shared a quiet laugh, a small luxury in between the hustle and bustle of murder investigation. But moments like these, hard to come by, were what brought the much-needed tension relief that made these things bearable.

 

Making sure Chabashira was alright and that everyone else but the participants left the room, they began the ritual.

Akamatsu, Oma, Yumeno, and Shinguji began singing. In the pitch-black darkness, the ritual expert led them through the ordeal.

 

And then a loud _thunk_ was heard.

 

* * *

 

_*Ding dong, bing bong!*_

 

“ _Really_? Wow, you guys sure are bloodthirsty today!” Monotaro concluded.

Monophanie was reeling, but surprisingly, not puking.

“Huh. Are you some sort of intuitive puker or something?” Monosuke admired.

“Intuitive Puker?!” Monokid laughed. “Shit, I’d go to _that_ concert!”

“CAN-YOU-TAKE-ME-WITH-YOU?” Monodam asked.

“Ehhh, your music taste is fucking garbage! Do you even have a music taste?”

Monodam sulked.

“A-Anyways, if it wasn’t clear, there-“

“Monokid, why are you always so rude to Monodam?” Monophanie asked, protecting her younger brother, forgetting all about her post-punk sounding puke.

“Look at ‘im! Little shit’s completely shut down! He doesn’t even have a proper comeback, ha-ha-ha!”

Monodam sat quietly.

Monotaro flailed around, helplessly trying to calm down his siblings. “Hey, guys, we have an announce-“

“He looks as fucking stoic and dispassionate as Monosuke!”

“Oi! What’d you say about me, you lil’ shit?!”

“ _GUYS!_ ”

“You wanna fight? I’ll show you a fight!”

“Ugh… Boys…”

“…”

 

*Bzzzzzt*

 

The broadcast was hijacked, the screen going blurry and then seemingly changing to another channel.

“Did ya miss me?” Monokuma laughed, champagne glass in hand, swirling it around. “Looks like my kids are as useless as ever! Can’t run a killing game properly for the life of them!

“Can I have your attention please; will the real Caged Child please stand up? Can the real Caged Child please stand up? We’re gonna have a problem here… Please make your way to the middle room for briefing!” 

 

* * *

 

“ ** _TENKOOOO_ _!_** ”

“Wait, Yumeno-san!”

Desperation can fill an empty glass in the blink of an eye, and Yumeno was overflowing. She ran to the cage – the sheets being taken away – throwing it off of Chabashira. And this would be the second time today that Yumeno would be heartbroken.

The Ultimate Aikido Master lay on the ground, bleeding from her head.

Yumeno fell to her knees and bawled, tears running down her eyes, soaking her skirt and the ground below her.

Akamatsu’s legs were wobbly, barely keeping her straight. She had steeled herself since Yonaga had died for the eventuality of someone else dying. But this was too soon. She wasn’t ready to see Chabashira go as well. Amami, Hoshi, Tojo… too close had she been to losing them. As soon as she got her feet on the ground, as soon as she got her confidence back, everything fell apart around her. Was she destined to bring misfortune to everyone she met?

Oma said nothing, did nothing, looked like nothing. He made like a tree and just stood there. And like a tree, he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

“Are you fucking with me?!” Momota was the first compassionate soul to make a ruckus. “You’ve gotta be! Why Chabashira-san?!”

Gokuhara joined Yumeno in crying, loathing himself for not being able to do anything, not being able to protect another one of his friends.

Hoshi crushed his candy cigarette between his fingers. “Everything keeps getting worse and worse by the minute.”

Saihara started at Yumeno, then at Chabashira. But he couldn’t stare for long, not before a stabbing feeling in his gut made him tear his eyes away from the sick-horrid sight. He had failed. Twice now, he had failed as a detective. He wondered how he had been able to move on so quickly after seeing Yonaga dead, but he guessed that was the workaholic part of him. But this was too much. He completely shut down. _This_ was the breaking point. _This_ he couldn’t take. What kind of _sick fuck_ would do this?! Had they not been through enough? How much more did they have to suffer through? Could there really only be two alive? He couldn’t take it. He cursed Monokuma, the cursed the culprit, he cursed his title, he cursed himself.

 

“Huh? What’re you all moping about?” Monokuma merrily tickled. “ **Who died**?”

“ _Go fuck yourself, you spastic piece of shit asshole!_ ”

Akamatsu was done. She was an extremely patient person, but for Monokuma to have the _gall_ to mock them after two of their friends had died, finding some sick pleasure in their suffering-

“ _Wow!_ You guys are amateurs! Did _anyone_ think to check for a pulse?”

 

Deafening silence.

The kind that would make someone’s head spin out of control.

Like a carousel on steroids and cocaine.

Spinning so fast that it would make their brain hurt and eyes go backwards, rolling the wrong way and threatening to erupt out of their sockets.

That kind of midfuckery Akamatsu was experiencing right now.

Thankfully, Harukawa was there to catch her before she cracked her head on the floor and became the third victim of the day. She wasn’t in the right mindset to thank her. The only words that could pierce through her nebulous skull were those that made her faint.

Saihara didn’t even try to hide his own tears. “She’s… she’s alive!”

That’s all the reassurance that Akamatsu needed.

 

* * *

 

“And who said I never helped anyone of you fucks out?” Monokuma stuck his nose high. “And not even a ‘ _thank_ _you’_!”

Harukawa had immediately ran to bring any supplies she could find to cover Chabashira’s wound.

“And another bitch decides to just drop to the ground!” Iruma complained.

“Be glad she _isn’t_ dead,” Hoshi glared at her. “Or you’ll be next.”

She pulled back. “What’s your problem?!”

“As soon as Harukawa comes back, we need to start investigating who attacked her.” Saihara had managed to collect himself rather well, all things considered. Guess finding out your friend didn’t die after all did wonders for your sanity.

“About that. I wonder,” Shinguji hummed. “Two attacks? They were barely on the same day, and that’s only by technicality. Too far apart and the method is rather strange as well…”

Akamatsu frowned at his tone. “What’re you suggesting?”

Shinguji turned to Monokuma. “Is it perhaps possible that the blackened who killed Yonaga-san and the one who attacked Chabashira-san-“

“Are two different people, yup, totes my goats.”

“ _WHAT?!_ ” Momota couldn’t hold back his scream.

“What?” Monokuma sounded offended. “What else was I gonna do with my free time after I got kicked out? Goat herding is a wonderful pass time, and they’re such cute little ani-“

“YOU’RE SAYING THERE ARE TWO BLACKENED?!”

“Oh that. Yeah, probs? I ‘unno, I just got here, give me a break. Don’t yell at me.”

“But you’re saying there’s a possibility?” Kiibo clarified.

Monokuma shrugged. “The killing game is an open field for everyone to do their own reaping. If two of you decide to go nuts at the same time, who am I to stop you? I’m forbidden to directly interfere by the game’s rules.”

“But-“

“Shirogane was an excepting, we’ve been over this, Kaed-egg. Look, here, how ‘bout this…”

He snapped his fingers, and a buzzing was felt in everyone’s pockets.

“Oooh~” Iruma drooled with a heavy spasm of her body. “ _Tickles_ …”

Everyone chose to concentrate on the phone, the murders, the floor, _anything_ but the possible location of Iruma’s phone.

“ ** _Ew_**.” Monokuma gagged. “You know what, when this game is over, you can keep it.”

 

_#18: If two different attacks by two different blackened occur at the same time, only the one whose victim was found first will be subjugated to a trial._

 

“Does that make things easier for y’all?”

“Hold up, this means that investigating Chabashira-san’s attack is basically pointless,” Hoshi remarked.

Monokuma rolled his eyes, dropping to the floor and crawling around, looking for something around the edge of the room. “Can’t you read? It says – and I greatly emphasize – **_IF_** there are two different blackened. Answering that question is up to you; I just put that rule there for shits and giggles.” Letting out a yelp, he found a loose floorboard small enough for a bear to use. Or for a small wooden tool to fall through.

“Now, where are those kids of mine… _Who wants daddy’s beeeeelt~_?”

“Can we, um, get back to investigating?” Kiibo asked awkwardly as Monokuma crawled away. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

“Unless someone wishes to join Yonaga-san, I suggest that we do,” Shinguji agreed.

“But it’s too dark in here to see anything…” Harukawa complained.

Iruma laughed proudly. “Kiibo, show ‘em!”

“Right. Leave it to me!” Kiibo lit up like a firefly, eyes glowing and shining brightly, lighting up the room.

“Nifty,” Akamatsu praised. “Now we can get to work properly!”

 

“The Monokuma file says that she has a concussion to the back of her head. That’s her only injury.”

“So a completely different place than Yonaga,” Harukawa remarked. “But still a concussion?”

“Whatever caused it wasn’t enough to kill her, but it definitely knocked her out good,” Saihara read, looking the file over.

“How could she have possibly been attacked? She was protected completely inside the cage; most blunt weapons wouldn’t fit there, and it would be nearly impossible to swing anything to cause that exact bruise from her position.”

“Maybe she hit her head against the cage?” Amami imagined.

“Unlikely,” Akamatsu claimed. “The cage is too heavy to move, and it was still exactly where we left it when we first moved it.”

“Maybe she was attacked after or when the cage was removed?” Harukawa proposed.

“Such a quick, effective and soundless attack,” Saihara pondered. “When and how?”

“But it wasn’t completely silent, was it?” Yumeno mumbled.

“Sorry?”

“There was a loud crack, or something. Like something broke or fell…”

“There was?” Hoshi inquired. “When?”

“Now that I think about it…” Akamatsu reflected. “There _was_ an odd noise during the séance. I think that’s what Yumeno-san is talking about.”

“I heard it too,” Shinguji confirmed. “I didn’t think much of it, though, since I thought someone merely tripped.”

“No, no, that was a much heavier sound than someone tripping,” Akamatsu asserted. “It sounded like… wood? Like something dropped on wood.”

“While it’s not enough to count as evidence,” Hoshi pondered. “It’s still good enough for a lead. Now we need to find out how exactly she was attacked.”

Tojo looked at the sheets, noticing a small blood spatter on it. “This was on top of the cage and underneath the dog statue, yes? It seems that some blood has stuck to the cloth.”

“So she was definitely attacked while inside the cage,” Amami concluded.

“But that makes even less sense,” Akamatsu argued. “We have Kiibo’s light; the culprit didn’t. How could they have possibly attacked Chabashira-san when the lights were out and the cage was on?”

“That does seem to be a problem…”

Harukawa came running back, heaving and a first aid kit in her hand. “Where is she?”

Chabashira was lying in Gokuhara’s lap in the circle, the tall boy having ripped a piece of his uniform to wrap around her head.

“Once I wrap this around her, she needs to be moved. Can you help me with that?” the assassin asked Gokuhara.

“Of course! You can count on Gonta! Gonta is sorry he no could protect friends, so he will do all he can now!”

“Good. Keep her still.”

Once they had bandaged her, Gokuhara carefully took her in his tender, muscly arms and left.

Harukawa breathed with relief. “The wound isn’t too bad. Some bleeding, a nasty gnash, but I’ve survived worse, and she’s a fighter. She’ll definitely live.”

That news made everyone’s shoulders feel a lot lighter, but nothing could have made Yumeno glow brighter than those words.

“What’s this, though?” Saihara motioned, crouching down and fiddling with something in the middle of the now ruined salt circle.

“What’d you find?” Akamatsu asked him.

Saihara brushed some of the salt away with his hand, careful not to make a mess. “It looks like one of the boards came loose. I hadn’t noticed it earlier, because Chabashira-san and Gokuhara-kun were in the way, but now that they’re gone…”

Where the aikido master had laid, there was a wooden board that was apart from the rest, dubiously standing atop the others.

“How did that happen?” Amami said in bewilderment.

“Don’t know, but we might find out if we check below the floor,” Harukawa indicated.

 

* * *

 

“Achooo!”

“Are you ok, Amami-kun?”

“Ahaha- yeah, ju- ACHOO!”

Akamatsu and Amami had crawled underneath the floorboards. It turned out to be a dust-filled deathtrap for the poor adventurer.

“Let’s make this quick…”

Kiibo’s magnificent shine didn’t reach down here; their only source of light was a wax candle they had borrowed from Shinguji. The underbelly of the room was humid, musty and rancid. It wasn’t as tight as they had feared, although it still oozed with oppressive sense of claustrophobia.

Crawling around, the pianist felt something sticky and wet underneath her hand.

“Found the blood!” she called to her friend.

“And _I_ found the rats.”

“Did you actually?”

“For Momota’s sake, I hope it was just rats…”

One particular board had its crosspiece cut off. That same board also had a small bit of blood on it. Chabashira had laid on that piece. However, some ways away was a small pool of blood, dry and eerie.

Amami crawled over to where Akamatsu was crouching. “So unless Chabashira-san’s blood has extreme acrobatic attributes as well…”

“…this is someone else’s blood,” she finished.

 

* * *

 

“IT’S A LIE!”

Saihara and Harukawa stared emptily at the alive ‘carcass’ of Oma, still frozen in place, uncertain if this was part of a weird trip or Oma was just being Oma again.

“ _Ha!_ Fooled you guys!”

Neither of the two investigators said anything for a while, just brushed the cold sweat from their foreheads.

“Harukawa-san. Can you punch him for me?” Saihara said, squeezing his eyes closed.

“My pleasure.”

“Wo- woah, heeeey!” Oma wobbled away, a weak attempt at defending himself from the murderous assassin. “Easy, chill! I was only ki- kidding! Seesh…” He wobbled around some more, then decided to sit down on the floor with sudden drop. “Ow… I think I have barain dada- dad- damage…” He was bleeding from his forehead, eyes staring into a bright sunset at the end of the eerie and dark hallway.

“From the fall or is that a general statement?”

“Ouch… way to hit me while I’m down… _Harumaki_ …”

Saihara, finally drawing some imaginary rainbows into the terrifying and world-shattering mental image that was Oma’s body, composed himself enough to ask: “How did-“

“I was sniffing around the blood… that we found in front of the lab…” When his sight stopped spinning, he stood up and held on to the wall. “I was looking around the other empty rooms, seeing if the blood wasn’t just convenient decoration. When suddenly… BAM! Leg through floor…”

“You… stepped _through_ the floor?” Harukawa asked incredulously.

“Y-Yup… Looks like a balance was cut off or something, because… there was no sstability on one of the planks there… Just my… luck!”

“Did you find anything else?”

“I’m feeling fine, Saihara-chan, thanks for asking… I checked the ritual book as well, just to see why Shinguji-chan was so upset his little rave party failed. Everything was legit; the circle was perfect, the lyrics weren’t autotuned – all was well in occult country… No idea why it went like it did… Also, no idea where the blood came from, only that there’s a path connecting the middle room and Yonaga-chan’s lab.”

“I see,” Saihara hummed. “Thanks a lot, Oma-kun. You’ve been… very helpful…”

“Sure thing,” Oma gave a thumbs up, still not looking at them in the eye. “Tell me whenever you need me to fall through the floor again… I’ll go lie down now…” With a stumbling gait, the poor boy made his way off towards the horizon, before walking into another wall and yelping loudly in pain.

“I’m fine! If anyone was wondering…”

The two investigators watched on painfully.

“I think we should go…”

“Agreed.”

 

* * *

 

The students had gathered at the Shrine of Justice. Before, they would all attend. Sure, Amami was unconscious for his trial, and the same went for Hoshi. But later, they would wake up and still walk around and participate. They were all alive, and every time they descended in the packed elevator, Saihara was reminded of that. That they had all made it another day without anyone dying.

Now, Yonaga was gone. 16 had turned into 15, and their ranks had dwindled the slightest bit. This was evident, even if the plaza was still relatively full. It hadn’t even crossed anyone’s mind before, but not it was reality and they had to live with it. But the worst part about it was, it brought forth disturbing questions about future trials that nobody wanted to answer.

Momota looked around, looking for someone.

“Are you looking for Harukawa-san?” Saihara noticed.

“Huh? Yeah, I guess…”

“She said she wanted to check on Chabashira-san before we went ahead.”

“Well, she better make it quick, I don’t think Monokuma will like us stalling.”

It didn’t take long before Harukawa strode around the corner, with the surprising addition of Chabashira not far behind.

“Tenko!”

“Yumeno-san!”

The smaller girl ran into the arms of her friend, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Don’t overdo it,” Harukawa sighed heavily. “Or I’ll make you go back.”

“That was a swift recovery!” Amami grinned, placing his hands on his hips. “How’d you manage that?”

“She’s a fighter,” Harukawa said – and she would surely deny it – with a slight fondness when looking at the two friends reunited.

“Tenko! Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine! I’m fine! Don’t worry about me!”

“Do you know who…”

Chabashira shook her head. She turned to address the rest of her classmates as well. “I’m sure you’re all wondering how or why. And the truth is… I don’t know. Everything was dark, and I have no idea what happened. I wish I could tell you more, but-“

“Don’t sweat the details, you’re here now!” Momota interrupted. “That’s all that matters!”

Chabashira would have usually decked any male for interrupting her, but something in the astronaut’s sincere voice – combined with her weak state – made her stop.

“Now c’mon, let’s go before Monokuma gets really upset!”

Chabashira smiled and nodded, taking Yumeno’s hand and walking forward with her, towards the elevator.

The last few rays of divine light shone upon the students before they descended down into the depths once again, all too aware of the empty space in the middle that everyone was avoiding.

 

* * *

 

 

**\- - Court is now in session: ALL RISE! - -**

The bell had rung, cutting the investigation prematurely short. Looked like Monokuma was putting on a tight leash, now that he was back in control.

Yonaga’s podium now had her portrait, angelic wings and a halo drawn in red with the words “ _7 minutes in Heaven with Atua_ ” written in blood underneath.

 

“Man does it feel gooood to be back!” Monokuma rejoiced, spreading his libs wide. “You kids have been fucking up a lot while I’ve been gone, haven’t you?”

The Monokubz stood in attention, each of them looking down in shame.

“Well don’t worry, daddy’s here now, and he’ll set things straight! Now, then, let us begin with a basic explana-“

“Alright, shits-for-brains, I’ve figured it all out!” Iruma pronounced with the confidence of 30 men.

“Sure you did, cum-dump,” Oma rolled his eyes.

“Shitguji, your skeevy perverted ass’ been rubbing all over the two bitches!”

“Cease speaking for the rest of the trial before I tear out your vocal chords.”

“ _EEEP_!!”

“Who did it…?” Yumeno grabbed the podium with vigor. “Who attacked them?”

Momota looked off to the side, contemplating. “It must’ve been someone from the student council, right?”

“If we assume that Yonaga-san was murdered in her lab, the only people who she would’ve let in were Yumeno-san, Chabashira-san, Gokuhara-kun and myself,” Kiibo listed.

Hoshi eyed Oma. “Though I feel like we’re forgetting someone…”

Everyone looked at the little liar boy.

“Zzzz…” He was sleeping standing up, an impossibly big snot bubble coming out of his nose and snoring from his mouth.

Suddenly the bubble burst. “What do you mean you’re ‘ _at soup_ ‘?! Wait, what’re we talking about…?”

Shirogane smirked. “Oma-kun could also get inside the lab, meaning he could lock and unlock the doors with ease. He even showed so himself.”

“Oh, rats, I’d hoped you had forgotten about that!” Oma bit his nail in distraught. “Oh, well, how inconvenient that you have two eyes and a functioning memory! Alright, fine… I admit it…

“ _I killed Yonaga-chan_!”

“Limpdick?!” Iruma yelled in disbelief.

“This must be a joke…” Shinguji pulled on his hat.

“Oh, here we go again,” Hoshi rolled his eyes.

“No, guys, fo’ real, it was me!” Oma insisted. “Shouldn’t you guys believe a culprit when they confess? You know, like how you did with Tojo-chan! Now, throw the vote, or something, and kill yourselves!”

Tojo opened her mouth but forced down any comment she had.

“I don’t think he did it,” surprisingly, Chabashira answered first. “Obviously, because he’s a liar. But I don’t think he would do such a thing, even if he is a degenerate male.”

“So we all know Oma-kun is lying,” Akamatsu summarized. “But we should still count him as a possible suspect, along with the student council-“

“Ooo, I’m one of the kool kids now!” Oma enthused. “What should we call ourselves? Oh, oh! I’ve got an idea! How about… the Suspect Riders? So, Suspect Riders? What can we do to clear our names?”

“Why are you leading the conversation?” Shirogane asked suspiciously.

“Silence, outsider! This is a Suspect Riders™ only meeting!” Oma hissed. “Now, any suggestions?”

“You’re the last person I’d want advice from,” Kiibo rolled his eyes.

“You’re naturally the most suspicious one, but as a team, we need to stick together, Kee-boy!”

“I am far from the most suspicious person here, Oma-kun!”

“Bickering does not constitute as explanation,” Shinguji chastised. “Behave.”

“Yes, daddy!” Oma grinned.

“Weird fucking kink…” Iruma was grossed out.

“Anyways,” thoroughly disturbed, Akamatsu continued. “Nobody seems to want to say anything about Yonaga-san’s murder. Her whole room was clean as well, next to no evidence was found and-“

“Can we…”

“Hm? What was that, Yumeno-chan?”

“I know Angie’s case is important, but… if we have no leads, can we talk about Tenko’s case as well?”

“E-Eh?” the martial artist was flustered.

“Nishishishi… MWAHAHAHAHA!” Oma laughed manically, throwing his hands wide like a cartoon villain. “You’ve activated my trap card, Yumeno-chan!”

“Nyeh…?”

“Hey! Are you bullying Yumeno-san?!” Chabashira leaned over her podium, trying to grab Oma.

“What are you on about this time?” Hoshi’s tone was so tired, like he had heard the same song on repeat every morning and just wanted to change the station, but his packet only had the one frequency.

“Trying to lead us astray from the topic, Yumeno-chan?” Oma tsk’d. “What a naughty little girl you are! Don’t you realize? Until we figure out who murdered Yonaga-chan, who cares who attacked Chabashira-chan? Dems the rules, after all.”

Yumeno looked at him with an unfathomable expression.

Chabashira bit her lip. “Y-Yumeno-san, he’s… got a point. I am alive, and Yonaga-“

“Wh- Who… cares? How dare you speak like that to her! Apologize to her right now!”

“Yumeno-san…” Chabashira was stunned. The helpless, lazy and emotionless girl she had known for so long was now sticking up for her with such fervor.

“It’s all pointless,” Oma yawned. “Everything that has to do with Chabashira-san’s attack is pointless and irrelevant to the case, as long as we don’t-“

“Don’t you ever shut up?” Momota interrupted. “ _’Pointless, pointless, pointless._ ’ You’re pointless, how ‘bout that?”

“Oh, you sure got him there,” Shirogane said drily.

“What kind of sick attitude does one have to have to consider anyone’s suffering pointless? Chabashira-san’s case matters just as much as any other, so I won’t let you stand there and keep repeating that it is!  We need to figure out her case if we want to work together. Even if there are two different culprits, it doesn’t matter. If we solve Yonaga-san’s murder, a blackened will still be among us. For those reasons, we need to do this!”

Again, the same sincerity filled Momota’s words and moved the students to nod their heads.

“Then let’s discuss Chabashira-san’s case. We don’t have much evidence on Yonaga-san anyways, so it’s the next logical step,” Kiibo concurred.

“You’re doing this just to spite me, aren’t you?” Oma drew his bottom lip down in a pout.

“Then we should start with those who were present at the séance,” Tojo indicated.

“That would be Shinguji-kun, Yumeno-san, Akamatsu-san, and Oma-kun,” Amami counted. “If we go by the same logic as with Yonaga-san’s case, then the culprit is one of those four.”

“Shinguji-kun was the one to suggest the séance in the first place, was he not?” Tojo recalled. “He set it up, drew the circles and orchestrated everyone’s roles.”

“You are correct, I won’t deny it. However, not only did I explain everything about the ritual beforehand – in which case suspicion falls upon us all in equal measure – but Yumeno-san was the one to choose the room in which we performed the séance in. I had no control over _that_!”

“Hmm. Now that I think about it,” Oma sang. “Yumeno-chan sure seems to be the only constant variable in all of these cases, huh?”

“Are you calling Yumeno-san suspicious?” Again, the aikido master threw a very hostile look towards the supreme leader.

“Not entirely, Oma-kun,” Shinguji backtracked his statement. “I may have been a bit too cheap. If I recall correctly, the investigation procured another point of entry to the middle room, did it not?”

“Underneath the floor,” Amami scrunched his nose, holding back the memory of a very loud and ugly sneeze. “Lots of space; could hold the next insect Meet and Greet down there. It also connects to the neighboring room, so if someone wanted to, they could easily Splinter Cell their way in.”

Hoshi put his candy cigarette in his mouth, chewing on it in thought. “That means anyone could be a suspect.”

“But very dark. Only bugs could see,” Gokuhara mused.

“Eeewww, gross, don’t even mention those little yucky creatures,” Iruma choked, looking around the floor in paranoia.

“You’d have to use a candle down there to see for sure,” Saihara explained.

“But then the light would seep through the hole in the back into the room,” Harukawa prompted.

“Awww, so that means Kee-boy couldn’t have done it either,” Oma lamented.

“Just ignore him… Just ignore him… Just ignore him…” the robot told himself in meditation.

“Are we sure the floor even has anything to do with the case?” Chabashira asked quizzically. “What else did you find?”

“We noticed a cut crosspiece down there,” Akamatsu told her. “Right on the board you were lying on.”

“Eh?!” Chabashira shrieked. “No wonder I was knocked out cold! That’s really dangerous stuff! Anything else?”

“We did also find some blood, though it was already dry. No idea where it came from, since it was some ways away from the board you were on.”

“So we still got nothing,” Momota huffed. “What now?”

“A lot of unexplained clues,” Shinguji clicked his tongue. “We should concentrate on when she was attacked. Maybe that will give us more insight into the how?”

 

\- -  **Mass Panic Debate: START!**  - -

 

“Could someone have attacked Chabashira-san before she went underneath cage?” Gokuhara asked.

“Did Chabashira-san get attacked while still inside the cage?” Amami asked.

“What about the exact moment the cage was lifted?” Hoshi wondered.

“No, that’d be impossible,” Shinguji claimed.

“Well, it was pretty dark even underneath the cage,” the aikido master explained.

The culprit could’ve pulled a fast one on us!” Oma gushed.

“She was still alive even when the **statue** had been placed.”

“I couldn’t see anything, even when the **candles** were probably still on fire…”

 “ **When the cage was being lifted** , the culprit could’ve KO’d Chabashira-chan…”

“I made sure of that myself before we began the ritual.”

“Sorry, I can’t remember anything at all…”

“Right before anyone even noticed!”

 

 

Akamatsu’s ears perked. “That’s it!”

“What is?” Momota asked, confused.

“There’s a perfect correlation between these two arguments that makes them false. Tojo-san, you inspected the sheets, right? What were they like?”

“Indeed, I did. I quite clearly remember the bloodstains on the sheets,” Tojo reminded. “Chabashira-san had to have been attacked while still underneath the cage, while the sheets were covering her.”

“Exactly!” Akamatsu nodded. ”The sheets prove that Chabashira-san couldn’t have been killed before _or_ after the séance; otherwise their whole existence is a clear paradox!”

“But this still doesn’t answer anything. We have no idea when she could have possibly been attacked,” Oma shrugged. “She could’ve just hit herself repeatedly until she bled on the sheets and then called it a day! Or blood could’ve been spilt on the sheets afterwards. There’s still nothing that proves when she was attacked, meaning this whole course of thought is point-”

“Actually, that’s not quite right, is it?” Akamatsu shot back.

“Ugh, here we go; go on Kaede-chan, shower us with your infinite wisdom like you showered Amami-chan with your shotput.”

“During the séance, there was something else that was very much off.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right!” Yumeno remembered.

“What is it, Yumeno-san?” Chabashira asked. “Did you remember something?”

“During the séance, there was a loud noise. Like something fell.”

“But when we checked, nothing was out of the ordinary,” Saihara put a hand to his chin. “Nothing fell from the ceiling, and nothing weird was on the ground either.”

“It was quite peculiar indeed,” Shinguji agreed. “What could have caused it?”

“Maybe someone fell really hard on their ass or something?” Iruma implied.

“Hmm. Not impossible.” Akamatsu wasn’t convinced though.

“Maybe someone stepped on something?” Oma suggested offhandedly.

“Eh? What the fuck would be the point of that?” Iruma snorted. “There was jack shit to step on, otherwise I would’a had something to do there. Unless someone stepped on someone else, or on a splinter or some shit!”

“Not a splinter, but maybe…” Saihara racked his brain. What could it have been? Something big enough to create lots of noise, located inside the room someplace important, something they probably knew already… “Wait, what was Chabashira-san laying on top of, again?”

“A stray wooden plank!” Gokuhara provided with ease. “Gonta make sure to be careful when taking care of Chabashira-san.

“That’s it! That’s what made the noise!”

“The wooden plank? I don’t understand,” Kiibo’s antenna formed a question mark.

Hoshi nibbled on his candy. “If I remember correctly, the crosspiece of that particular plank was cut off, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right! It was the crosspiece that was facing outwards from the cage, which means that it could be possible that someone stepped on it and that’s what made the loud noise! The positioning would have propelled Chabashira-san upwards like a seesaw, hitting the roof of the cage!”

“The blunt force trauma that was detailed in the Monokuma pad,” Akamatsu recalled. “That’s where it came from! With enough force, the culprit would’ve been able to stomp on the wooden piece, lifting her body, hitting the back of the cage. That explains the blood, the lack of any other weapons and the concussion.”

“That’s… plausible, but improbable,” Tojo allured. “The room was dark, yes? If we assume the plank was used as a weapon, then how did the culprit find the plank in complete darkness just like that?”

“The culprit probably used something really small and specific, something only they could come up with,” Shirogane theorized.

Saihara tapped his fingers against his podium. “There’s another component to this mystery that can answer that question…” He looked around at his classmates, all of them thinking and humming to themselves. As he kept tapping his fingers, rubbing them against the podium and drawing nondescript traces on them, he was reminded of a certain feeling. A certain feeling he had experienced earlier in the day.

“Ah, that’s right!” He raised his finger. “The circle!”

Momota looked at his friend in question. “The circle? What’s that got to do with anything?”

“It was drawn in salt, right? Feeling it, the culprit could’ve easily navigated the dark room without a problem, if they remembered the layout!”

“Not bad, Shuichi!” Momota praised. “That’s why I made you my sidekick!”

“Because he’s smarter than you are?” Harukawa jabbed.

“Hey, rude!”

“Well, the culprit sure has more brains than Momota-chan!” Oma praised. “What an amazing plan! Good job, culprit! I sure didn’t think of that one!” The supreme leader clapped his hands in mock appraisal.

Shinguji rubbed his hands as well, though for a different reason. “Indeed, Yumeno-san. Well done.”

“Nyeeh??”

“You’re the culprit behind this ‘ **seesaw magic trick** ’, are you not? As we have discussed, for it to work, it requires preparation. And who else chose the location for the ritual but you? Chabashira-san was all but ready to volunteer herself as the medium, wanting to give you the opportunity to speak to Yonaga-san one last time. You took advantage of her good nature, and none of it would have raised any suspicion towards you.”

“Hey! Why’re you accusing her of attacking me! Yumeno-san would never do such a thing, you degenerate man!!!”

“But how did she find out about the séance early enough to prepare?” Kiibo inquired.

“Shinguji-kun told us – that included Yonaga-san – about it a few days ago,” Amami recounted. “I guess it wasn’t exactly a secret…”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” the anthropologist theorized. “If the late Yonaga-san shared the details of the ritual with Yumeno-san.”

“Wait, that still doesn’t prove anything! Yumeno-san is an innocent snowflake! She would never hurt anyone!” Chabashira continued defending her friend.

“Ah, it seems true love is the cause of another tragedy!” Oma cried with fake tears. “The poor Yumeno-chan; torn in between the thorns of jealousy of Yonaga-chan and Chabashira-san, both fair maidens who sought her attention! But it is clear as day now, how it all transpired! Chabashira-san, wrought with angst and envy, killed the poor artist for getting too close for her beloved mage!”

The martial artist tried defending herself. “I- I would ne-“

“Saddened by loss and grief and never able to love again, Yumeno-chan avenged her friend by setting a trap, only for it to catch a fish too dear to her heart!” Oma’s emotional and passionate speech turned dark, just as his grin’s edges turned upwards at an inhuman angle.

“ ** _Or perhaps by design?_** ”

“Wha- w- -what the hell are you t-t-talikng about, you freak?!” Iruma couldn’t keep herself from stuttering, absolutely terrified from the verbose lunatic before her.

“Did Yumeno-chan perhaps know of Chabashira-san’s betrayal to the student council, and to Angie-chan and to _Atua_? Her love was turned against her, after she had for so long ignored her, and now it was her duty to do what was right, as a mage should! Deciding not to fall ill to idle hands, she acted before contemplating, and barely evaded another terrible tragedy, yet the wounds of love were already too deep…”

Both girls were too shocked to say anything, neither willing to look the other in the eye or discredit anything the liar had said. Everybody else was struck quiet from his sudden act as well, scared, amazed and confused all at the same time.

“Chabashira-san…” the little magician said with a quivering voice. “Did you…?”

“I-…” the girl in question looked up, but was unable to meet her friend’s eyes. The fact that Yumeno could even doubt her hurt her deeply.

“Um…” Saihara tried to, gracelessly so, continue the conversation. “I think I can prove that Yumeno-san isn’t the culprit.”

“You can?” Gokuhara seemed the only enthusiastic one still left.

“Ironically, it’s Oma-kun who can do it.”

Everyone turned to the purple haired boy, now fast asleep, snot bubble growing and dwindling.

“Zzzz…”

*splat*

“So there’s cops everywhere, I’m covered in blood, holding an icepick- wait, what’s going on?”

“Someone call a plagiarist, cuz I’ve heard these lines before,” Shirogane mumbled.

“We found him on the floor, passed out, “Harukawa retold.

“Aw, man _were_ you scared!” Oma sounded too proud of his prank. “The looks on your faces! But anyways. I stepped through a board in the floor of the other empty room and went *splat* on the ground. That was a lot of blood for someone as small as me!”

“This means that there was more than one crosspiece that was cut?” Akamatsu asked.

“If this happened in the other room, then we can assume that is the case with the third one as well,” Kiibo determined.

“But this still indicts Yumeno-chan as the culprit!” Oma pointed at the girl next to him. “She’s still suspicious _AF_!”

“I’m not…” the girl wanted to protest, but Oma’s earlier words had made her resolve too weak now.

“See? She’s so guilt-ridden, she can barely-“

“YOU SHUT UP YOU DIRTY MENACE!”

Oma indeed shut up from the wind that came from Chabashira’s mouth.

“I won’t stand by and let you say another word against her!”

“Ehh?” Oma titled his head at her. “But you do realize she’s the one who attacked you, right? I said so myself.”

“I don’t care what you said! I trust Yumeno-san with my life, no matter what sort of lies you try to poison my mind with. It didn’t work for Yonaga-san, it definitely won’t work for you! I may not remember who attacked me, I may not remember what happened while I was underneath the cage… But I do remember why I went down there! It was because of Yumeno-san!”

The magician girl finally was able to force her gaze from her boots upwards.

“She wanted so badly to speak with Yonaga-san again, to hear her voice! That’s why I became the medium! I couldn’t stand her being sad, she deserved to happy; so I did the only thing a friend would do! And for you to speak such ugly things about her… I won’t forgive you! You who you never speaks a single word of truth, never trusts anyone and is rotten to the core; menaces like you don’t deserve to breathe the same air as someone as pure as Yumeno-san!”

Oma didn’t say anything, his bangs covering his face. Though a small smile did appear on his face, breaking his empty visage.

“That doesn’t mean titless is cleared of suspicion!” Iruma quarreled. “She still could’ve totally whacked your ass twice over!”

“I think I know how to prove who the real culprit is,” Saihara muttered, feeling for his breast pocket. “But let’s see where this goes…”

“I’m not entirely convinced either,” Hoshi sighed. “Sorry, Yumeno-san. I want to believe you, but we can’t leave anything unaccounted for.”

“Yeah, things just _don’t add up,_ ” Oma continued in a not-so-subtle, sarcastic voice. “Like, unless I have really bad luck, how did we only find out about the boards two minutes before the trial started? It must’ve been barrier magic or something!”

“We’ve seen all sorts of weird shit come from bitchtit’s sleeves,” Iruma laughed. “She ain’t any less suspicious than creepy-pants over there!”

“Aaaand the runner-up _jumps_ above the first contestant!” Monokuma wiggled in his seat, mimicking a sports commentator’s voice. “He _swings_ to the left, he _dodges_ to the right, he _slams_ the board with his foot- AND WHAT’S THIS?! DISCOURSE BREWING IN THE AUDIENCE?! LADIES AND GENTELMEN, YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT’S….!”

 

_Ssss-p-p-p-p-pliiiiiiiiiit OPINIONSSSSS!!!!_

_“LET’S GET REAADY TO RUMBLEEEEEE!”_

 

[“ **Is Himiko Yumeno the culprit** **?** ”]

“Oooonn the left side we have the crowd’s sweetheart’s, TEAM “ _Burn the Witch_ ”! Give it up for: Kokichi Oma, Korekiyo Shinguji, Miu Iruma, Ryoma Hoshi, Tsumugi Shirogane, and Kiruuuuumi Toujou _uuuu_!!

“Aaaand on the right side we have TEAM “ _Loli Protection Squad_ ”!! Let’s stomp our feet and clap our hands for: Kaede Akamatsu, Shuichi Saihara, Himiko Yumeno, Tenko Chabashira, Maki Harukawa, K1-B0, Rantaro Amami and Gonta Gokuhara!!!!”

 

**\- - Scrum Debate - -**

**START!**

 

“It doesn’t matter who attacked Chabashira-san, does it? Let’s just get this over with so we can get to the real case,” Shirogane yawned.

“Everyone matter, not proper to **ignore** **case** when we can solve it!” Gokuhara protested.

“All the evidence we have procured up until now points to her being the culprit,” Tojo claimed.

“We still don’t know whose **blood** leads to Yonaga-san’s lab. Until we figure that out, we shouldn’t proceed with any sort of vote,” Amami countered.

“That doesn’t matter right now, what matters is that Yumeno-san had all the time necessary to prepare for the ritual,” Hoshi pointed out.

“But she wouldn’t have been able to set up the **magic circle** , which only Shinguji-kun had the means to prepare,” Harukawa reminded.

“She was well aware of the of the séance and even picked the room herself,” Shinguji raised a finger in deliberation.

“All of the rooms were the same; she fell right into the real culprit’s **trap**!” Saihara exclaimed.

“She still could have trapped the other rooms on her own,” Iruma irately yelled.

“But if she suggested the room, what was **the point of trapping** the others?” Chabashira asked.

“You can’t deny, she had a motive; taking revenge on Chabashira-san for killing Yonaga-san!” Oma grinned ear-to ear.

“The motive wouldn’t work, because by the time we found out that Yonaga-san was dead, the trick was **already set up**!” Akamatsu disclaimed.

 

 

[ **Round 2** ]

[ **Who is the real culprit?** ]

**START!**

 

“If the two cases have the same culprit, it could only have been someone from the student council!” Shirogane concluded.

“ **Oma** could have picked the lock for the door; we’ve already established that people other than the student council are suspicious,” Harukawa shook her head.

“It could be anyone; the floor underneath gives a clear opening to anyone who would want to sneak in,” Hoshi speculated.

“The pathway under the floor wasn’t used, because it’d be **too dark** to see anything down there,” Amami discredited.

“Candles were littered all around the place, anyone could’ve used one!” Iruma reminded.

“The candle’s light would have shone in through the **gap** in the back of the room,” Chabashira denied.

“Then the only person who could navigate in the dark without a light would be Kee-boy!” Oma  

“I’ll have you know, my light functions only as a **flashlight**!” Kiibo shone his light at Oma.

“But in total darkness, how could anyone who partook in the ritual navigate to the floorboard?” Tojo asked.

“Simple; they used the texture of the **magic circle drawn in salt**!” Akamatsu explained.

“It would have been simply impossible to use the circle; it didn’t stretch to the corners of the room,” Shinguji claimed, sweating.

Saihara took out a photo. “No, this **picture Kiibo took** proves that’s wrong, and it also proves that the blackened who attacked Chabashira-san… is the same person who drew the magic circle!”

 “ _This is our answer_!”

 

“Oh my _GOD_ , I’ve never seen anything like it!” Monokuma screamed at the top of his lungs. “Like a shark _flying_ out of the water to catch his prey between his teeth!”

“I need to thank you, Kiibo. Thanks to you, I know exactly how the trick was done and who used it,” Saihara announced. “The seesaw trick had to have been done last night by someone who knew of the séance ritual and had all of the necessary materials at hand. However, not only did they need to prepare the seesaw trick, they also needed to fool us in one more manner… the salt circle that was used to navigate in the dark. Oma-kun, you said you checked the ritual book through before the trial, right?”

“Yuuup, sure did! And lemme tell you, the circle _did not_ stretch into the corners!”

“Then then only person who could have committed the crime… who could have used the salt to navigate in the dark… Who knew the layout of the room, the ritual, the instruments and the people involved… it was none other than the person who suggested it in the first place, Korekiyo Shin-“

“ ** _Wonderful_**!“ Shinguji bellowed in pure ecstasy, hands flying out.

“Hey, watch it,” Shirogane swatted his hand away.

“I knew you could do it! How marvelous, simply marvelous! Well done, friends, magnificently done! You accomplished everything just like I expected you to!” he started clapping like a child at a play.

“You… _you_ attacked Tenko?” Yumeno was seething with rage. Her knuckles were turning white from squeezing the podium.

“Let me guess, you’ll never forgive me. For the rest of your days, you’ll look at me in spite, as the person who attacked your dearly beloved. How the hatred boils underneath your skin,” Shinguji ranted, eyes darkening underneath his cap. “Yes, it was I who attacked Chabashira-san! I bet you’d get quite the catharsis from seeing me executed, but that won’t happen!”

“…” Yumeno already knew why, but she still couldn’t quite believe it.

“Huh, what’s he on about?” However, a certain aikido master was a bit less in the know than the rest.

“Simply put; while I am the blackened who attacked Chabashira-san, I am innocent in the crime against Yonaga-san. You vote for me, and every spotless will die.”

“You’re going to deny killing Yonaga-san?” Harukawa calmly asked.

“Of course. Recall that I was unable to enter Yonaga-san’s lab. It would be absurd to indict me.”

“So someone else kill Angie?’ Gokuhara asked.

Momota raised his fist at the anthropologist. “No, I bet it was him, the bastard, he’s just trying to deny it!”

“I knew it was that creep Shitguji all along!” Iruma spat at the boy.

“You… you attacked Tenko… and killed Angie as well…” Yumeno shook in her spot with anger. “I’ll curse you… I’ll curse you for the rest of your life!”

“OH? Are those the sweet sensational bells of _voting time_?” Monokuma put a paw to his ear. “Looks like our participant’s minds are made up!”

“Wait, we can’t vote yet!” Akamatsu disputed. “We still haven’t figured out for sure if he did kill Yonaga-san!”

“What’s there to figure out?” Yumeno asked. “He’s the culprit!”

“I understand your anger, Yumeno-san,” Tojo tried calming the girl down. “But it is too hasty for us to simply go forward with a vote without looking at all the evidence; I wouldn’t want you to make the same mistake as last time…”

“Fuck that,” Momota cursed. “If we wait any longer, he’ll just find a way to talk his way out of this! We either vote now or never!”

“Ohhhh~!” Monokuma was getting jittery. “Y’know, this is starting to sound a lot like some more **Split Opion-** “

“ _No_.”

Chabashira had been awfully quiet ever since the confession. Of course, if it had to have been someone, it would’ve been Shinguji. But for so much calculated malice to be in those words... She hated him; always had a bad feeling about him ever since she had first heard his raspy words come from behind his mask. And now that he showed his true colors, there was nothing stopping her from throwing a fist through his skull. But something didn’t sit right with her…

“…That… _meance_ only stands to lose from further investigation. Why would he sabotage himself? Akamatsu-san and Saihara-kun will easily find the truth, I believe in them,” she turned to Yumeno, staring her determinedly in the eye. “So please, believe in them too. I understand you want to take revenge for both me and Yonaga-san, but we can’t lose focus! It isn’t what Yonaga-san would’ve wanted.”

The mage looked at her friend with teary eyes and then looked down, in shame. “I… I’m sorry… You’re right. Let’s… continue the trial…”

“Aw, man, how boooooring,” Monokuma complained. “Ugh, more talking, I guess. Is this _ever_ going to end? I get the feeling this is dragging on longer than the other ones…”

“All good mysteries have many twists and turns!” said Monophanie.

“Yeah, but when they get too many to count, what’s the point?” Monotaro asked.

Monosuke propped up his glasses. “Learn to count then, jackass.”

“Hah, _gottem,_ Monotaro!”

“Shut up, Monokid.”

“…”

 

“I hope I wasn’t too rough, Yumeno-san!” Chabashira apologized, bowing down.

“No, it’s Ok… you’re right. We need to come to a concrete conclusion before we vote. Thank you, Tenko.”

Tenko smiled, glad to know that no matter what, they were still friends.

 

\- -  **Non-Stop Debate: START!**  - -

 

“Shinguji-kun’s confession nearly made me forget an important detail about Chabashira-san’s attack,” Amami brought up.

“During the investigation, we found **dry** **bloodstains** underneath the floor in the middle room.”

“The trail leads to the Ultimate Artist’s lab, which is the one secure connection between the two attacks,” Hoshi’s face creased in thought.

Shinguji laughed. “Yonaga-san suffered no **interior or exterior wounds** other than the one to her forehead…”

“And we found no blood on her crime scene, meaning she was completely clean!”

“But it still connects the two scenes,” Saihara argued.

“If Yonaga-san was **killed** or **attacked** in the middle room, then that directly links you to her murder as well!”

“It is not Chabashira-san’s blood, it is not Yonaga-san’s blood, and it is certainly not _my_ blood either!”

“But if she was killed outside of her lab, that means people other than the student council become suspicious!” Oma drew out.

“I think they killed her after our meeting with her,” Saihara concluded.

“But she still **wouldn’t have had a reason** to go to the empty room!” Shinguji shook his head.

“Come on, think…” Akamatsu tried prompting herself. There had to be a fallacy somewhere in the argument.

“If she walked in on you preparing-“

“But why would she have been anywhere near me, _hmm_?” Shinguji wagged his finger. “Kehehe… There’s nothing you can use against me, Akamatsu-san.”

_One single piece? Only one?_

“Shinguji-kun…” Saihara mumbled.

“What is it, Saihara-kun?” Shinguji turned to him, though did not look him in the eye, much more interested in his medallion. “You cannot keep the pretense up for long, you know. Time is in _awful short supply recently_ …”

Saihara did not react to the threat. He stared his opponent down, his classmate. “You already confessed to attacking Chabashira-san… and I firmly believe that you also killed Yonaga-san. I don’t want it to be true… but as a detective, it is my duty to figure this case out. As such, I’m sorry… but I won’t let you talk your way out of this!”

 

**\- - Rebuttal Showdown: TRUTH BLADE - -**

 

/“No matter how you look at it, the evidence simply does not add up!”/

/”I attacked Chabashira-san, but that does not make me Yonaga-sans’ murderer!”/

/”Only council members and Oma could have gotten inside her lab…”/

/”So not only would it have been impossible for me to get there…”/

/”I already have an alibi, which is setting up the murder for Chabashira-san!”/

“Your crude explanation is correct,” Saihara bit his thumb. “But Yonaga-san was on the 4th floor at the same time as you! Sawing off the crosspiece would have created enough noise to draw her attention if she were in the hallway, so she would have come into the middle room, where you killed her!”

/”How did I move her body into the Art room and lock it?”/

/”Or whose blood is it that you so vehemently claim connects the two rooms together?!”/

/”You make absurd connections yet fail to explain even the most basic of evidence!”/

/”Ultimate Detective?! Pah! Admit it…”/

/”There isn’t a **single piece of evidence** that can connect me to Yonaga-san’s murder, is there _Shuichi?!”_ /

“ _Yes there is!_ ”

“You only need one piece, Shinguji-kun?” Saihara slammed his podium, his mind made. He knew exactly what he needed to do now. It was over.

“Korekiyo Shinguji… the floorboard that was used in the seesaw trick to attack Chabashira-san… is the very same one you used to kill Yonaga-san with!”

Shinguji doubled back, nearly falling off of his podium. “W-WHAT?!”

“We noticed bloodstains, as well as blemish on it. I suspect you used it to kill Yonaga-san in the middle room when she caught you preparing the seesaw trick. Is that enough of a solid connection for you?”

“Are you ready to give up now?” Harukawa asked.

Shinguji’s eyes jumped from Saihara to the assassin, then to Akamatsu, to the next person and on to the next one, and so forth. They were spinning around the classroom. His hands were rubbing together, trying to itch beneath the bandages. “W-Wha… Nrg… GiVe… uP? mE? No… I’m-…YoU…! _You_! You, you, you! HoW can—what?!  Uh… Uhm, nH… ahn, can’t… You all! **_DON’T LOOK AT ME!_** ” He bellowed, a spine-chilling roar that echoed through the trial grounds.

“The fuck’s going on with him? Someone give him a slap and reboot his systems or something,” Iruma was positively pissing herself, and for once, she wasn’t enjoying it.

“Sto- stOp looking… like I’m some sort of… _murdereR_!” he grit through his teeth.

“Hey, look at it from the positive side!” Oma threw his hands back and comforted. “At least you’re not the only one!” Harukawa glared at him, though it did not make him lose his smile.

“Shinguji-kun?” Tojo asked the boy wearily. “I don’t think he’s… stable.”

“Is he having a mental breakdown or something?” Momota cocked an eyebrow.

“Anyone want to change seats?” Shirogane inched away.

He started scratching at his face, trying to peel off the mask. “You… you think this is all some sort of… J _oKe?!_ You… you have the nerve-…”

“ _Calm yourself, Korekiyo.”_

Instantly, Shinguji stopped all movement. He didn’t tense up like a pole, but instead, he relaxed like a spring. His hands fell from his face, his mask drawn down.

“ _You mustn’t lose yourself, Korekiyo. You mustn’t raise your voice. You mustn’t stutter. You mustn’t be disgraceful to yourself.”_

“Is that… fucking _lipstick_?!” Iruma ogled.

“He certainly pulls it off better than you do!” Oma teased.

Shinguji swiped a hand in front of his face, mask up again. “R-Right… Yeah…”

“Is he… talking to himself?” Hoshi asked. “Or is that just me?”

“You’re right…” Shinguji continued. “I got… carried away…”

“Multiple personality disorder?” the assassin prodded Saihara.

“I… have absolutely no clue.”

Shinguji coughed, recollecting himself. Once again, the mask was down. “ _Sometimes, there is no other way, but to admit defeat.”_

“B-But-“

” _You trust me, don’t you, Korekiyo?”_

Shinguji looked uncertain for a second – a split second, his eyes looked away – but he quickly shook his head, ridding himself of whatever doubt he had and pleasing the high-pitched voice that came from his mouth. “Of course I do.”

“So does this mean…?”

“Yes, Momota-kun. _I_ killed Yonaga-san.”


End file.
